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MAY  23  1918 


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BV    1460    .R56   A4    1905 


The  Aims  of  religious 
education 


THE  PROCEEDINGS  OF 
THE  THIRD  ANNUAL  CONVENTION 

OF  THE 

RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION  ASSOCIATION 
BOSTON,  1905 


THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS 
EDUCATION 


^Vi  OF  p/i;jicf= 


MAY  23  1911 


A 


THE  PROCEEDINGS 
OF  THE 

THIRD  ANNUAL  CONVENTION 

y  OF  THE 

Religious  Education  Association 

BOSTON 

FEBRUARY  12-16,  1905 


%  C5ICAL  Sl^^ 


CHICAGO 

EXECUTIVE  OFFICE  OF  THE  ASSOCIATION 

153  LA  SALLE  STREET 

1905 


COPYRIGHT,  190S 
BY  THE  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION  ASSOCIATION 


THIS  VOLUME  IS  DEDICATED 

TO 

MRS.  CYRUS  H.  McCORMICK,  SENIOR, 

THROUGH  WHOSE  GENEROSITY 
ITS  PUBLICATION  WAS  MADE  POSSIBLE 


CONTENTS 


ADDRESSES  AND   DISCUSSIONS 

General  Theme:   THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 
ADDRESSES  AT  GENERAL  SESSIONS 

PAGE 

The  President's  Annual  Address    ---------3 

President  Charles  Cuthbert  Hall 

The  Annual  Survey  of  Progress  in  Religious  and  Moral  Education       -        -      9 
President  William  Herbert  P.  Faunce 

Subject:  How  Can  we  Bring  the  Individual  into  Conscious  Relation  with  God? 
The  Direct  Influence  of  God  upon  One's  Life     ------     20 

Bishop  William  Eraser  McDowell 

The  Bible  as  an  Aid  to  Self-discovery -        -        -25 

President  Henry  Churchill  King 

The  Church  as  a  Factor  in  Personal  Religious  Development  -        -        -     29 

Bishop  William  Lawrence 

Religious  Education  as  an  Aid  to  Conscious  Relation  with  God       -        -        -     33 
Mr.  Loring  Wilbur  Messer 

Subject:  How  Can  We  Develop  in  the  Individual  a  Social  Conscience? 
Literature  as  an  Expression  of  Social  Ideals         ----•'       2)7 
Professor  Arthur  S.  Hoyt 

Science  as  a  Teacher  of  Morality         --------40 

Professor  John  Merle  Coulter 

The  Ethical  Education  of  Public  Opinion    -------47 

President  Henry  Smith  Pritchett 

Discussion — - 

Professor  Henry  S.  Nash    -        -        -        -        -        -        -52 

Professor  William  E.  B.  Du  Bois         -       -        -        -        -      Si 

Dr.  Samuel  M.  Crothers 55 

Subject:  Hoiv  Can  We  Quicken  in  the  Individual  a  Sense  of  National  and 

Universal   Brotherhood? 
The  Sacredness  of  Citizenship     ---------56 

President  William  J.  Tucker 

The  Mission  of  Christianity  to  the  World     -------60 

President  Charles  Cuthbert  Hall 

V 


vi  CONTENTS 

ADDRESSES  AT  DEPARTMENTAL  SESSIONS 
THE  JOINT  SESSION  OF  DEPARTMENTS 

PAGE 

Subject:  The  Place  of  Formal  Instruction  in  Religious  and  Moral  Education 
In  the  Home  --.-..-....67 

President  G.  Stanley  Hall 

In  the  Sunday  School        -..-____.        .71 
Dr.  Everett  D.  Burr 

In  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Associations        ------       76 

Professor  George  Albert  Coe 

In  the  Public  School 80 

Mr.  George  H.  Martin 

In  the  Preparatory  School  -        -        -        -        -        -        -        -        -82 

Rev.  Endicott  Peabody 

In  the  College    ------------84 

President  George  Harris 


/.     THE  COUNCIL  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

President's  Address  on  the  Work  of  the  Department  for  the  Year    -        -        -      86 
Dean  Frank  Knight  Sanders 

The  Field  of  Religious  Education  in  America    ------      go 

Professor  Clyde  W.  Votaw 

The  Co-ordination  of  Agencies  within  a  Religious  Community      -        -        -      96 
Dr.  William  C.  Bitting 

What  Co-operation  is  now  Possible  in  Religious  Education  between  Roman 

Catholics  and  Protestants?  -_..--..     102 

Professor  Thomas  J.  Shahan 

The  Bible  and  Government  Schools  in  the  Philippines         _        -         -        _     107 
Dr.  Simeon  Gilbert 


II.     UNIVERSITIES  AND  COLLEGES 

What  can  Universities  and  Colleges  do  for  the  Religious  Life  of  their  Stu- 
dents? -        -        -        -        -        -        -        -        -        -        -        -no 

President  William  R.  Harper 

Mr.  Roy  Smith  Wallace 
Discussion — 

President  Henry  Churchill  King         -        -        -        -        -     115 

An  Experiment  in  Religious  Instruction  in  a  College     -        -        -        -        -117 
President  William  De  Witt  Hyde 

What  can  Music  do  for  the  Religious  Life  of  Students?      -        -        -        -     121 
Professor  H.  C  Macdougall 


CONTENTS  vii 

///.     THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARIES 

PAGE 

The  Annual  Survey  of  the  Work  of  Theological  Seminaries         _        .        _     124 
President  William  Douglas  Mackenzie 

Discussion— 

Professor  George  E.  Horr 
Professor  Alfred  W.  Anthony 

The  Decline  in  the  Number  of  Students  for  the  Ministry    -        -        -        -     135 
President  Alfred  T.  Perry 

Discussion — 

Professor  Williston  Walker 

Shall  a  Committee  be  Appointed  to  Report  on  the  Curricula  of  Theological 

Seminaries,  with  a  View  to  Establishing  Larger  Uniformity  ?  143 

Professor  Melancthon  W.  Jacobus 


IV.     CHURCHES  AND  PASTORS 

Subject:  Educational  Aitns  0}  the  Church 

Christ  as  a  Teacher     -----------     147 

Bishop  D.  A.  Goodsell 

The  Church  as  an  Educator         -----  -        _        .     148 

Rev.  Albert  W.  Hitchcock 

Culture  Courses  in  Churches         -        -        --        -        -        -        -         -     152 

Dr.  E.  E.  Chi  vers 

Discussion — 

Rev.  Edward  Cummings 

Rev.  John  R.  Gow 
Subject:  The  Educational  Aims  of  the  Pastor 

The  Pastor  as  Teacher         ----.._._.     ijg 

Dr.  Everett  D.  Burr 

The  Pastor  as  an  Educator      ----------     163 

Dr.  Cornelius  H.  Patton 

Adequate  Intellectual  Expression,  by  the  Pastor,  of    the  People's  Spiritual 
Experience      -        -        -        -         -         -        -         -        -         -         -        -165 

Dr.  Charles  S.  Macfarland 

Discussion — 

Rev.  W.  a.  Wood 168 


V.     SUNDAY  SCHOOLS 

The  Annual  Survey  of  Sunday  School  Progress    -        -        -        -        -        -171 

Rev.  Pascal  Harrower 


viii  CONTENTS 

PAGE 

The  Church's  Problem  of  the  Religious  Education  of  Its  People     -        -        -     177 
Professor  Irving  F.  Wood 
Dr.  J.  T.  McFarland 
President  William  Douglas  Mackenzie 

Discussion — 

Dr.  Lemuel  Call  Barnes        ..-----    183 

Mrs.  Clara  B.  Beatley  .-.-.--     185 

Principles  Underlying  the  Sunday  School  Curriculum     -----     188 

Mr.  Patterson  Du  Bois 

Dr.  F.  N.  Peloubet 

The  Cultivation  of  Worship  in  and  through  the   Sunday  School.     Report  of 

the  Committee     -----------      194 

Professor  Waldo  S.  Pratt 

Discussion —       ----_--_.---     197 

Rev.  George  F.  Nason 
Miss  Lucy  Wheelock 

Popular  Bible-study  by  Coirmiunities   --------     202 

Rev.  C.  a.  Brand 

BibUography  of  Books  and  Lessons  for  the  Sunday  School.     Report  of  the 

Committee   ------------     207 

Dr.  George  W.  Mead 
Rev.  William  W.  Smith 

The  Scope  and  Purpose  of  the  Sunday  School  Exhibit        -        -        -        -     216 
Dr.  Richard  Morse  Hodge 


VI.    SECONDARY  PUBLIC  SCHOOLS 

What  Changes  Should  be  Made  in  Public  High  Schools  to  Make  Them 

More  Efl&cient  in  Moral  Training?       -        -        -        -        -        -        -219 

President  G.  Stanley  Hall 

Discussion — 

Head  Master  Frederic  Allison  Tupper 

Has  the  Reading  of  Greek  and  Latin  Literature  any  Effect,  Favorable  or  Unfa- 
vorable, upon  the  Morals  of  Pupils?      -         -         -         -         -         -         -225 

Prlncipal  William  T.  Peck 

Discussion — 

Principal  Eugene  D.  Russell 

The  Study  of  English  Literature  as  a  Means  of  Implanting  High  Moral  Ideals      232 
Mr.  D.  O.  S.  Lowell 


CONTENTS 


Discussion — 

Mr.  a.  J.  George 

The  Aims  and  Processes  of  Moral  Development     -        -        .         -  -     239 

Head  Master  Frank  H.  Robson 


VII.     ELEMENTARY  PUBLIC  SCHOOLS 

Subject:  The  Foundations  of  Religion  and  Morality 

How  Far,  and  How,  Can  the  Foundations  of  Religion  be  Laid  in  the  Common 

Schools?       -        -         -        - 245 

Professor  Edwin  D.  Starbuck 

Dean  Sarah  L.  Arnold 

What  Moral  Equipment  May  the  Community  Reasonably  Demand  of  the 

Graduates  of  the  Common  Schools?  ...---     253 

Mr.  Walter  H.  Small 

The  Indirect  Education  of  the  Will 258 

Professor  Herman  H.  Horne 

Subject:  Tested  Methods  of  Inculcatifig  Religion  and  Morality 
Religionsunterricht  and  Its  Results  -        -        -        -        -        -        -        -261 

Mr.  Edward  O.  Sisson 

Oriental  Customs  with  Respect  to  the  Inculcation  of  Religion  and  Morality 

1.  In  China 267 

Hon.  Chester  Holcombe 

2.  In  India  ....-------     271 

Dr.  Robert  A.  Hume 


IX.     TEACHER-TRAINING 

Subject:  The  Training  of  Sunday  School  Teachers 

The  Sunday   School  Teacher- training  Accomplished  by  the  Hartford  School 

of  Religious   Pedagogy        -         -        -        -        -        -        -        -        -276 

Dean  Edward  H.  Knight 

The  Sunday  School  Teacher-training  Accomplished  by  the  Secretarial  Insti- 
tute and  Training  School  of  Chicago     -        -        -        -         -        -        -279 

President  John  W.  Hansel 

The  Sunday  School  Teacher-training  Accomplished  by  the  Alberta  Sunday 

School   Association       -        -        -        -         -        -        -         -        -        -281 

Rev.  Charles  H.  Heustis 

The  Sunday  School  Teacher-training    Accomplished  by  the  Sunday  School 

Union  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church     ------     283 

Dr.  Jesse  L.  Hurlbut 
Dr.  J.  T.  McFarland 


X  CONTENTS 

PAGE 

Subject:  The  Education  Required  for  Sunday  School  Teaching 

The  Nature  and  Extent  of  the  Pedagogical  Training  Necessary  for  Sunday 

School  Teachers  -----------     285 

Professor  J.  S.  Street 

The  Character  and  Scope  of  the  BibUcal  Knowledge  to  be  Expected  of  Sun- 
day School  Teachers    -        -        -        -        -        -        -        -        -        -289 

Professor  William  G.  Ballantine 


X.     CHRISTIAN  ASSOCIATIONS 

Annual  Survey  of  the  Progress  of  Religious  Education  in  Young  Men's  Chris- 
tian Associations  and  Young  Women's  Christian  Associations     -        -     293 
Mr.  Walter  M.  Wood 

Bible-study  in  Young  Women's  Christian  Associations      -        -        -        -     298 
Mrs.  J.  S.  Griffith 
Mrs.  Charles  N.  Judson 

The  Religious  Education,  of  Boys      --------     302 

Mr.  Edward  P.  Kaighn 

Outlines  of  a  Course  of  Study  in  Philanthropies  -----     305 

Professor  H.  M.  Burr 


XI.     YOUNG  PEOPLES  SOCIETIES 

A  More  Comprehensive  Basis  for  the  Union  of   Young  People  in  their  Socie- 
ties      -------------    309 

Dr.  Spenser  B.  Meeser 
Discussion  ------------    315 

Mr.  William  Shaw 

What  the  Missionary  Societies  are  Doing  to  Interest  the  Young  People  in 

Missions       -        -        -        -        -        -        -        -        -        -        -        -318 

Mr.  S.  Earl  Taylor 

Missionary  Literature  and  Young  People     -        -        -        -        -        -        -321 

Mr.  W.  Henry  Grant 


XII.     THE  HOME 

The  Part  of  the  Home  in  Religious  Education        ------     324 

Professor  Charles  R.  Henderson 

How  can  We  Develop  a  Growing  Consciousness  of    God  in  Cliildren  and 

Youth? 330 

Miss  Alice  E.  Fitts 

The  Continuity  of  Rehgious  Education        ...----     335 
Mrs.  William  D.  MacClintock 


CONTENTS  xi 

PACE 

The  Growth  of  the  Larger  Sense  of  Social  and  Civic  Responsibility  in  Youth      339 
Professor  Edwin  D.  Starbuck 

Plans  for  the  Work  of  the  Home  Department  for  the  Coming  Year      -         -     344 
Mrs.  A^rDREW  MacLeish 

XIII.  LIBRARIES 

Annual  Survey  of  the  Religious  and  Ethical  Work  of  Libraries     -        -        -     345 
Librarian  Drew  B.  Hall 

The  Moral  Value  of  Reading     -        -         - 348 

Librarian  William  I.  Fletcher 

Principles  Governing  the  Choice  of  Religious  and  Theological  Books  for  Pub- 
lic Libraries  -        -         -        --        -        -        -        -        -        -     352 

Librarian  George  F.  Bowerman 

The  Public  Library  and  the  Sunday  School  -        -        -        -        -        -356 

Librarian  Sam  Walter  Foss 
Librarian  Hiller  C.  Wellman 

The  Need  of  Professional  Libraries  to  Maintain  the  Standards  of  Our  Ministry     361 
Librarian  George  A.  Jackson 

XIV.  THE  PRESS 

How  can  the  Press  Educate  the  Public  Respecting  the  Progress  and  Meaning 

of  the  Missionary  Movement?     -         -         -         -        -        -        -        -365 

Mr.  Silas  McBee 

The  Sunday  Press  as  Related  to  Moral  and  Religious  Education   -        -        -    367 
Mr.  J.  L.  Sewall 

The  Relation  of  the  Religious  Press  to  the  Popularization  of  Bible-study         -     371 
Rev.  F.  a.  Bisbee 

XV.     CORRESPONDENCE  INSTRUCTION 

The  Place  and  Possibilities  of  Correspondence  Instruction  in  Religious  Educa- 
tion     -------------     374 

President  Frank  W.  Gunsaulus 

A  Survey  of   the  Correspondence  Courses  at  Present  Available  for  Religious 

Education      --- 379 

Rev.  Jesse  L.  Cuninggim 

The  Classification  of  Correspondence  Courses     -        -        -        -        -        -385 

Miss  Georgia  L.  Chamberlin 

XVI.     SUMMER  ASSEMBLIES 

Summer  Sunday  School  Institutes        --------     390 

Rev.  E.  Morris  Fergusson 


xii  CONTENTS 

PAGE 

Biblical  Instruction  at  the  Summer  Assembly     ------    395 

Professor  Herbert  C.  Willett 

The  Summer  Assembly  and  the  Moral  Instruction  of  Children     -        -        -  '  399 
Dr.  William  Byron  Forbush 


XVII.     RELIGIOUS  ART 

The  Treatment  of  Church  Interiors     --------     403 

Mr.  Ralph  Adams  Cram 

The  Treatment  of  Church  Exteriors     --------     407 

Mr.  James  Sturgis  Pray 

The  Educative  Power  of  Organ  Music        -------    412 

Mr.  George  A.  Burdett 

The  Educative  Value  of  the  Art  of  the  Great  Painters 41S 

Rev.  Henry  G.  Spaulding 

Artistic  Studies  in  Theological  Seminaries     -------    418 

Professor  Waldo  S.  Pratt 


THE  GENERAL  ALLIANCE  OF  WORKERS  WITH  BOYS 

Subject:  The  Boy  in  the  Country 

The  Problem  of  the  Country  Boy        --------     429 

Rev.  Herbert  A.  Jump 

The  Chivalric  Idea  in  Work  with  Boys        -        -        -        -        -        -        -433 

Rev.  Frank  L.  Masseck 

The  Civic  Idea  in  Work  with  Boys     --------     436 

Principal  Myron  T.  Scudder 

Subject:  The  Boy  in  the  City 

A  Country  School  and  Camp  for  City  Boys     -------    439 

Principal  Edward  A.  Benner 

The  Juvenile  City  League  of  New  York     -------    442 

Mr.  William  C.  Langdon 

Federating  Church  Boys'  Clubs  in  Cities  -------     445 

Dr.  Edward  J.  Houston 

The  Brooklyn  Church  Athletic  League         -------     449 

Mr.  George  J.  Fisher 

Discussion — 

Mr.  E.  Stagg  Whitin 

Ten  Years  of  Work  with  Boys:  A  Retrospect  and  Forecast        -        .        -    454 
Dr.  William  Byron  Forbush 


CONTENTS  xiii 

PAGE 

The  Minutes  of  the  Convention   --------  461 

The  Officers  of  the  Association        - 483 

The  Members  of  the  Association        -------  495 

Subject  Index 519 


\ 


THE    THIRD    CONVENTION 

ADDRESSES    AND    DISCUSSIONS 
THEME 

THE  AIMS  OF   RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


ADDRESSES  AT  GENERAL  SESSIONS 


THE  PRESIDENT'S  ANNUAL  ADDRESS 
PRESIDENT    CHARLES    CUTHBERT    HALL,    D.  D. 

UNION  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY,   NEW   YORK   CITY 

The  Dean  of  Yale  Divinity  School,  my  honored  predecessor  in  the 
Presidency  of  the  Rehgious  Education  Association,  said,  in  the  address 
with  which  he  opened  the  Second  Convention,  "  The  opportunity  be- 
fore the  Rehgious  Education  Association  is  boundless.  The  year  to 
come  is  the  critical  year  of  the  organization."  The  year  of  which  Dean 
Sanders  prophesied  is  ended.  We  have  passed  the  crisis  —  and  we  live. 
There  are  crises  which  men  pass  unconsciously,  swept  over  them  on 
the  high  tide  of  destiny,  knowing  but  in  retrospect  or  in  theory  the 
peril  of  the  way.  There  are  also  moments  and  years  of  critical  testing 
through  which  men  go,  open-eyed,  measuring  well  the  risks  they  take, 
feehng  every  ounce  of  the  burdens  they  bear,  yet  enduring  as  seeing 
Him  who  is  invisible.  If  the  year  just  ended  has  been,  as  the  former 
President  predicted,  the  critical  year  of  the  organization,  those  to  whom 
was  intrusted  the  management  of  its  affairs  were  not  unconscious  of 
risks  and  burdens.  There  were  places  in  the  year  where  to  move  for- 
ward was  an  act  of  faith  in  the  value  of  a  principle. 

Many  hopes  were  centered  in  the  General  Secretary,  both  in  the 
oflfice  and  in  the  man.  The  office  of  General  Secretary  is  the  natural 
medium  of  communication  between  the  Association  and  the  country. 
Of  the  incumbent  of  that  office  it  was  hoped  that,  joining  excellence 
of  character  with  devotion  to  an  ideal,  he  would  become  the  incarnate 
expression  of  the  principle  for  which  the  Association  stands.  But  it 
was  otherwise  ordered.  Reasons  of  conscience  caused  him  to  recon- 
sider his  purpose  to  make  this  his  life  work,  and  in  November  the  first 
General  Secretary  resigned,  to  enter  another  field  of  labor.  We  are 
grateful  for  what  he  did  in  his  brief  term  of  service;  we  are  sure  of  his 
loyalty  to  the  cause  of  Religious  Education;  we  bid  him  Godspeed.  For 
months  the  office  of  General  Secretary  stood  vacant.  It  is  now  filled 
by  one  who  enters  it  attended  by  many  hopes  and  desires  that,  having 
clear  vision  of  the  goal,  with  courage  and  strength  for  the  way,  he  may 
live  to  see  the  glorious  result  of  a  movement  that  has  been  begun  in 
prayer,    chastened  by  misunderstanding,   sustained   by  self-sacrifice, 

3 


4  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

animated  by  love.  The  circumstances  just  related  nullified  for  the  past 
year  the  field-work  which  had  been  planned.  The  General  Secretary 
for  a  work  Hke  this  must  be  an  apostle  in  labor,  a  statesman  in  vision. 
His  field  is  the  country;  Ms  parish  the  mind  of  the  American  people. 
He  must  penetrate  into  states;  discover  and  co-ordinate  the  purposes 
of  like-minded  citizens;  arouse  the  local  press;  turn  the  hearts  of  the 
fathers  to  the  children.  He  must  make  friends  in  every  city  for  the 
cause  we  have  at  heart.  He  must  preach  the  gospel  of  re- 
Hgious  education  until  that  preaching  is  reahzed  by  the  high-minded 
and  the  patriotic  as  a  career  opening  before  men  of  culture  and  feehng, 
who  would  protect  the  country  from  perils  born  of  its  own  prosperity, 
and  rescue  from  the  overlay  of  a  ponderous  materiahsm  the  spiritual 
ideals  of  the  founders  of  the  Republic.  Of  this  we  have  been,  deprived 
during  our  year  of  crisis.  From  our  appeal  to  the  country  the  chief 
voice  has  been  lacking,  as  it  shall  not  be  lacking,  please  God,  in 
the  year  to  come.  No  wonder,  then,  that  our  results,  in  some  things, 
are  less  than  we  hoped. 

The  past  year  has  not  witnessed  the  solution  of  our  financial  prob- 
lem. The  solving  of  that  problem  could  not  be  expected  to  occur  in 
advance  of  settled  conditions  in  the  office  of  General  Secretary,  and 
this  for  obvious  reasons.  Large  popular  membership  is  our  natural 
source  of  income.  The  ReHgious  Education  Association  is  an  affair  of 
the  people.  Behind  it  are  no  wealthy  promoters.  It  has  access  to  no 
secret  channel  of  supply.  It  sprang  from  the  patriotic  convictions  of 
educators,  and  educators  are  not  blessed  with  great  riches.  They  are 
men  of  the  people,  and  on  the  people  they  must  depend.  But,  in  the 
absence  of  a  General  Secretary,  it  has  been  impossible  to  approach  the 
people,  and  to  secure  the  adequate  co-operation  of  that  powerful  and 
generous  interpreter  of  popular  movements,  the  newspaper  press.  The 
people  have  not  known,  and  to-day  they  do  not  know,  the  moral  excel- 
lence, and  the  practical  reasonableness,  of  our  principle.  Had  they 
known,  their  patriotism  and  good  citizenship  could  absolutely  have 
been  depended  upon  to  provide,  through  popular  member- 
ships, our  modest  income.  When  the  people  understand,  they  will 
respond,  not  grudgingly  nor  of  necessity,  but  with  the  cheerfulness 
that  God  loves.  It  might  well  be  that  such  conditions  of  disadvan- 
tage and  delay  would  shake  an  enterprise  standing  upon  weak  and 
shallow  foundations,  or  would  dissipate  energy  enhsted  on  the  side 
of  umeality.  In  the  hot  fires  of  our  modern  life,  the  wood,  the  hay, 
the  stubble  of  irrational  dreams  soon  perish.  Nor  were  the  men  by 
whom  this   movement  was  conceived  of  a   temper   to  tolerate   the 


THE  PRESIDENT'S  ANNUAL  ADDRESS  5 

burdens  that  it  has  entailed,  were  those  burdens  not  esteemed  to  be 
imposed  by  God.  Their  lives  were  full  of  other  cares,  and  com- 
mitted to  other  interests.  From  this  movement  they  had  nothing  to 
gain  for  themselves  but  further  weariness  and  the  probability  of  being 
misjudged  by  some. 

Yet  disadvantage  and  delay  brought  them  no  sense  of  insecure 
purpose,  no  suggestion  of  doubt.  The  year  of  testing  disclosed  the 
impregnable  foundations  of  the  idea  itself,  and  the  moral  commit- 
ment of  its  apologists.  It  knit  them  together  in  oneness  of  purpose, 
in  the  sweet  communion  of  a  true  and  good  intention. 

They  reflected  that,  in  the  hardships  of  its  earlier  years,  the  Reli- 
gious Education  Association  follows  the  experience  'of  other  movements 
now  advanced  to  prosperity  and  intrenched  in  the  public  confidence. 
When,  at  the  beginning  of  the  nineteenth  century,  men  Uke  Wilberforce 
and  Charles  Grant  were  advocating  the  duty  of  EngUsh  Christians 
to  estabUsh  missions  in  the  Orient,  that  the  leading  ideas  of  the  faith 
of  Jesus  Christ  might  be  planted  as  an  incorruptible  seed  in  the 
religious  consciousness  of  the  East,  their  proposals  were  ignored  by 
some,  resented  by  others,  laughed  to  scorn  by  many.  When  the 
National  Education  Association  arose  in  this  country,  its  founders 
endured  with  patience  a  baptismal  period  of  popular  indifiference  and 
financial  dearth.  It  may  be  doubted  whether  any  of  the  greater 
causes  by  which  content  and  balance  have  been  added  to  civilized 
life  have  reached  the  stage  of  efficiency  unchastened  by  the  discipline 
of  delay. 

Furthermore,  it  is  to  be  remembered  that  delay  is  a  relative  term, 
formidable  in  one  set  of  relations,  inconsiderable  in  another.  The 
delay  of  a  moment  in  acute  illness  may  mean  death.  The  delay  of  a 
year  in  the  Ufe  of  a  man  may  mean  heartbreak,  irreparable  loss. 
But  moments  and  years  count  for  little,  relatively,  in  the  lives  of  great 
institutions,  in  the  evolution  of  great  ideas.  Men  are  impatient;  God 
is  patient.  Men  who  are  filled  with  an  idea  want  to  see  its  full 
fruition,  its  universal  adoption,  in  their  lifetime;  God  "buries  His 
workers,  and  carries  on  His  work." 

Unmoved,  therefore,  by  secondary  disadvantages  and  delays,  prob- 
able, if  not  wisely  desirable,  in  the  incipient  stage  of  an  important 
undertaking,  the  ofl&cers  and  departmental  workers  of  the  Religious 
Education  Association  have  come  up  to  this  Convention  in  joy  and 
hope  born  of  results  so  profound  in  themselves,  and  so  prophetic,  that 
our  superficial  delays  and  drawbacks  are  for  the  moment  forgotten. 

During  the  year  we  have  witnessed  two  results :    The  growth  of  the 


6  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

influence  of  our  idea  upon  the  public  mind,  and  our  own  advance  tow- 
ard the  better  definition  of  it.  These  results  have  appeared  simulta- 
neously; yet,  in  the  order  of  thought,  the  first  has  antedated,  and  must 
have  antedated,  the  second.  The  idea  must  lay  hold  of  men  before 
the  definition  of  it  is  possible.  By  this  token  we  believe  in  the  great- 
ness, the  divineness,  of  our  undertaking.  The  details  of  small  and 
transitory  movements  may  be  grasped  at  the  outset.  Those  to  whom 
God  gives  the  vision  of  great  movements  must  have  time  to  think 
themselves  clear.  Initial  exactness  of  definition  belongs  to  the  small 
utilities  of  life.  Vague  sublimity  is  the  first  stage  in  the  manifesta- 
tion of  great  conceptions  of  living.  Men  feel  that  ideas  are  true 
before  they  can  define  wherein  that  truth  resides. 

The  fundamental  idea  of  the  Religious  Education  Association  has 
increased  in  influence  upon  the  public  mind  during  the  last  twelve- 
month. Upon  those  who  have  stood  nearest  to  the  idea,  and  have 
been  working  toward  its  clearer  definition,  the  increase  of  its  influence 
over  themselves  has  been  very  striking.  Not  infrequently  it  happens 
that  men  think  they  see  land,  to  find,  on  drawing  nearer,  that  it  was 
mirage  flickering  on  an  empty  ocean.  But  they  who  thought  they 
saw  the  uprising  of  substantial  duty  in  a  call  to  bring  rehgion  into 
right  relation  with  every  form  and  channel  of  popular  education  know 
to-day  that  this  was  not  ethical  mirage,  but  plain  reahty.  They  see 
that  the  intellectual  development  of  this  country  is  advancing  rapidly 
and  upon  an  enormous  scale.  They  see  that  the  mand  of  the  Ameri- 
can people  lends  itself  to  education  as  the  outcome  of  hberty.  They 
see  that  all  educational  avenues,  from  those  leading  to  the  state  and 
private  universities  to  those  leading  to  the  public  schools,  are  thronged 
with  armies  of  the  finest  and  most  promising  youth  that  the  world  has 
ever  seen;  youth  unfettered  by  political  and  military  despotism;  un- 
weighted with  the  pessimism  of  Oriental  traditions;  intuitively  con- 
scious of  its  own  rights  of  life,  liberty,  and  the  pursuit  of  happiness; 
keen  and  quick  to  learn.  They  see  that  libraries,  magazines,  news- 
papers are  as  bread  to  the  body,  the  natural  food  of  these  happy,  hope- 
ful generations.  They  see  that  flliteracy,  superstition,  cruelty,  abomi- 
nable habits  of  ignorance,  anarchy,  the  devils  that  possess  backward 
and  unlettered  races,  are  exorcised  from  national  life  by  the  amazing 
potency  of  education,  and  that  our  sons  and  daughters  are  growing 
up  in  intellectual  sanity,  prepared  to  build  a  broader  civilization  than 
the  founders  dreamed  of,  and  to  count  for  a  positive  force  in  the  life  of 
the  world. 

This  educational  development  manifestly  is  of  God.    We  are  reap- 


THE  PRESIDENT'S  ANNUAL  ADDRESS  7 

ing  from  the  good  seed  that  the  fathers  sowed;  and  the  fathers  were 
men  of  God.  They  believed  in  the  value  and  in  the  liberty  of  the  in- 
dividual. They  believed  in  the  right  of  a  man  to  become  what  God 
intended  him  to  be.  They  believed  that  government  exists  for  the 
good  of  all,  and  that  the  conception  of  a  democratic  state  is  in  accord 
with  the  genius  of  humanity  and  the  intention  of  the  Almighty  Mind. 
But  God-given  liberty  and  God-given  education  carry  with  them  no 
guaranties  of  public  welfare,  save  those  vested  in  God.  The  gift  with- 
out the  Giver  might  be  more  than  barren;  even  power  without  respon- 
sibility, freedom  without  principle,  knowledge  without  reverence.  The 
liberalizing  influence  of  education  cannot  be  depended  upon,  apart  from 
religion,  to  protect  a  populous  nation  from  debasement  of  ideals  and 
from  aberration  of  ethical  judgment.  Knowledge,  absolved  from  the 
fear  of  God,  may,  by  sharpening  the  senses,  promote  selfishness,  not 
less  brutal  because  outwardly  refined.  Great  prosperity  may  become 
barbaric  materialism  in  a  land  where  men  teach  their  youths  everything 
except  to  worship  God.  The  defense  of  a  nation  from  such  a  doom  is 
furnished  by  no  external  authority,  civil  or  ecclesiastical.  It  emerges 
out  of  the  enlightened  conscience  of  the  people,  which,  as  if  intuitively, 
bears  witness  that  the  time  has  come  when  public  morality  and  public 
interest  demand  stronger  accent  on  the  religious  aspects  of  education. 
For  this  does  our  Association  exist.  This  is  its  fundamental  idea;  the 
vision  that  for  three  years  has  attended  us,  continually  growing  more 
distinct,  continually  extending  its  sphere  of  influence  over  other  minds. 
The  sublimity  of  an  idea,  while  it  may  work  for  inspiration,  lacks 
practical  effectiveness  so  long  as  it  lacks  definition.  Men  may  be  con- 
vinced that  religion  in  education  is  vital,  and  that  the  cultivation  of  the 
religious  sense  in  youth  is  indispensable;  but  to  translate  that  convic- 
tion into  wise  and  fruitful  methods  of  action  demands  the  broad  study 
of  conditions.  The  situation  takes  on  apparent  simplicity  in  lands 
where  Church  and  State  are  united,  and  the  propagation  of  religion  is 
guaranteed  under  a  royal  establishment.  In  a  land  like  ours,  where 
religious  Hberty,  tolerance,  and  individualism  are  universal,  where  the 
estabhshment  principle  is  unknown,  where  every  man  may  worship 
God  or  refrain  from  worshiping  Him,  according  to  the  dictates  of  his 
conscience,  the  problem  of  Religious  Education  takes  on  majestic 
reality.  It  challenges  the  attention  of  all  lovers  of  the  coun- 
try and  lovers  of  the  world.  It  invites  the  co-operation  not  only 
of  all  who  stand  on  the  side  of  religion  as  against  secularism,  but 
also  of  those  high-minded  secularists  who,  dissenting  from  the  form  of 
reHgion,  yet  show  themselves  not  uninfluenced  by  its  spirit.     Step  by 


8  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

step,  year  by  year,  this  Association  realizes  more  clearly  and  defines 
more  intelligently  the  end  in  view  and  the  ways  to  that  end.  As  it 
advances  on  the  path  of  definition,  its  thinking  becomes  more,  and  not 
less,  individualistic.  Not  that  it  fails  to  see  the  results  of  modern 
social  thinking,  not  that  it  is  slow  of  heart  to  beUeve  the  divine 
significance  of  the  social  philosophy  and  the  social  message  of  Jesus 
Christ,  but  that  it  knows  that  the  root  of  the  matter  involves  the 
relation  of  the  individual  to  God.  So  long  as  the  hfe  of  the  individual 
is  ahenated  from  the  life  of  God,  whether  by  wicked  works  or  by 
ignorance,  so  long  must  there  remain  in  all  our  schemes  for  social 
redemption  and  social  progress  an  element  of  ominous  unreaHty.  We 
must  interpret  God  to  men  and  bring  men  to  God,  or  dream  of 
building  a  house  without  a  foundation.  "  The  fear  of  Jehovah  is  the 
beginning  of  wisdom." 

The  main  lines  of  thought  projected  in  this  Convention  spring  from 
this  root — the  relation  of  the  individual  to  God.  Those  who  shall 
take  part  in  these  deliberations  have  come,  with  unparalleled  gener- 
osity, every  man  at  his  own  charges,  asking  and  receiving  no  other 
compensation  than  the  joy  of  service  in  a  noble  cause.  They  beheve, 
and  in  their  utterances  will  seek  to  show,  that  from  the  right  relation 
of  the  individual  to  God,  from  the  root  of  vital  religion,  spring  moral 
forces  which,  taken  up  into  the  system  of  education,  are  competent  to 
regulate  the  whole  field  of  Uving.  Personal  righteousness,  social  re- 
sponsibility, pubhc  service  in  the  nation  and  in  the  world,  follow,  as 
effect  from  cause,  the  ennobling  influence  of  an  educational  system 
transfused  with  the  sense  of  God.  Long  ago,  in  the  seat  of  Grecian 
culture,  he  who  was  apostle,  philosopher,  and  statesman  declared: 
"We  are  His  offspring.  In  Him  we  Hve  and  move  and  have  our 
being."  To  reaUze  this  and  to  make  provision  for  it  on  behalf 
of  our  own  children  and  our  children's  children  is  the  first  requisite 
and  the  final  aim  of  Religious  Education. 


THE  ANNUAL  SURVEY  OF  PROGRESS  IN  RELIGIOUS 
AND  MORAL  EDUCATION 

PRESIDENT  WILLIAM   H.   P.    FAUNCE,   D.  D. 

BROWN   UNIVERSITY,   PROVIDENCE,   RHODE    ISLAND 

No  one  can  attempt  a  general  survey  of  the  condition  of  moral  and 
religious  education  in  America  without  becoming  acutely  conscious  of 
the  inherent  difficulties  of  the  task.  The  age  in  which  we  live,  taught 
by  many  failures,  has  learned  to  distrust  swift  and  easy  generalizations. 
It  prefers  the  microscope  to  the  telescope.  It  has  insisted  on  division  of 
labor  in  the  intellectual  as  in  the  industrial  realm,  and,  absorbed  in 
the  investigation  of  individual  objects,  events,  or  movements,  is  quite 
wiUing  to  leave  to  the  future  those  great  co-ordinations  and  syntheses 
for  which  the  present  day  feels  so  keenly  its  incompetence. 

We  have  also  to  remember  that  statistics  and  formal  reports  can 
never  adequately  record  moral  and  religious  conditions.  The  report 
of  a  superintendent  of  the  public  schools  can  be  made  fairly  concrete 
and  exact.  The  number  of  pupils  enrolled,  the  number  of  periods 
spent  in  recitation  per  week,  the  number  who  successfully  pass  exami- 
nations, the  amount  invested  in  laboratories  and  Hbraries — these  facts, 
properly  tabulated  for  a  series  of  years,  and  reduced  to  percentages, 
may  give  a  fairly  accurate  idea  of  the  growth  and  efficiency  of  the 
school.  But  a  report  on  moral  and  religious  development  cannot  thus 
be  reduced  to  diagrams  and  tables.  It  deals  with  forces  peculiarly  intan- 
gible, subtle,  and  elusive.  There  is  somewhat  involved  of  which  we 
cannot  tell  whence  it  cometh  or  whither  it  goeth.  Such  a  report  must 
be,  on  the  whole ,'quaUtative  rather  than  quantitative.  It  has  to  do 
with  ideals  and  atmosphere  rather  than  with  certificates  and  diplomas. 
It  must  be  a  series  of  impressions,  rather  than  a  statement  of  per- 
centages, since  it  deals  with  "thoughts  hardly  to  be  packed  into  a 
narrow  act."  The  essential  facts  of  religious  growth  usually  escape 
the  census  taker,  and  must  be  felt  in  order  to  be  known. 

I.  The  most  cursory  review  of  the  past  year  makes  it  clear  that 
these  twelve  months  have  been,  in  the  field  we  are  studjdng,  a  time  of 
unprecedented  agitation  and  activity.  In  the  correspondence  which  I 
have  had  with  leaders  of  rehgious  thought  and  action  in  all  parts  of 
the  country,  the  unanimous  report  is  one  of  stir,  fermentation,  and 
incessant  debate.  The  slumbers  of  years  have  been  broken.  Com- 
placency is  abolished.  The  disciples  of  the  status'quo  no  longer  dominate 

9 


lo  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

the  entire  situation.     A  "divine  discontent"   has   spread   throughout 
the  land. 

I.  The  Sunday  school  has  been  heard  asking  in  many  places  the 
old  question,  "What  lack  I  yet?"  and  our  generation  has  been  smitten 
with  a  general  conviction  of  educational  sin.  Religious  denominations 
have  constantly  discussed  the  true  function  of  their  academies  and 
private  schools,  and  have  reorganized  their  societies  for  ministerial  aid. 
Churches  have  been  led  to  exalt  the  teaching  function  of  the  ministry, 
and  pastors  have  in  many  regions  been  led  to  experiment  with  classes 
for  pastoral  instruction  and  training.  The  publishing-houses  have 
teemed  with  all  kinds  of  "helps,"  manuals,  primers,  studies,  com- 
mentaries, and  histories,  of  all  grades  of  efficiency  or  deficiency.  Theo- 
logical seminaries  have  felt  the  quickening,  and  yielded,  in  some  cases, 
to  new  ideals. 

New  organizations  have  been  formed  for  Bible  study.  One  of  these, 
the  American  Bible  League,  held  its  second  public  convention  in  Bos- 
ton in  December.  During  the  sessions  of  three  days,  about  twenty 
addresses  were  delivered  on  Biblical  subjects,  and  great  interest  was 
manifested  both  by  the  speakers  and  the  public.  Membership  in 
the  League  is  limited  to  persons  signing  a  statement  as  to  certain  con- 
clusions already  reached  regarding  the  Scriptures,  and  a  series  of  text- 
books is  to  be  issued  explaining  and  defending  such  conclusions. 
Certainly,  all  sincere  and  genuine  investigation  is  to  be  welcomed.  We 
have  learned  to  tolerate  various  types  of  study  and  to  rejoice  in  all 
sincere  endeavor  to  interpret  the  sacred  writings.  It  is  impossible  that 
the  needs  of  the  eighty  millions  in  the  Republic  should  be  met  by 
any  one  type  of  study  or  student.  If  men  and  women  are  induced  by 
any  method  whatever  to  expose  their  minds  day  after  day  to  the  message 
of  apostles  and  prophets,  therein  we  rejoice  and  will  rejoice.  The  spirit 
of  contempt  is  as  unpedagogical  as  it  is  un-Christian.  Any  attempts 
are  better  than  indifference  and  inertia.  But  indilTerence  has  been 
steadily  vanishing. 

The  past  year  has  been  marked  by  unusual  evangelistic  effort 
on  the  part  of  many  churches,  both  in  America  and  in  Great  Britain. 
Spiritual  awakenings  of  peculiar  power  have  been  witnessed  in  various 
cities,  and  great  multitudes  have  become  conscious  of  the  unseen  and 
eternal.  If  we  may  judge  from  the  past,  such  movements  are  sure  to 
be  followed  by  zeal  in  education.  In  the  white  heat  of  religious  con- 
viction were  born  most  of  the  educational  institutions  of  the  Church. 
We  cannot  forget  that  three  of  the  greatest  evangelists  of  tlie  nineteenth 
century — Charles  G.  Finney,   Charles  H.  Spurgeon,  and  Dwight  L. 


PROGRESS  IN  RELIGIOUS  AND  MORAL  EDUCATION      ii 

Moody  —  gave  their  closing  years  largely  to  the  founding  of  Christian 
schools  which  are  still  their  enduring  monuments.  Out  of  those  who 
have  felt  the  breath  of  religious  aspiration  this  past  year,  we  may 
expect  many  to  become  educational  leaders  and  founders.  One  of  our 
great  needs  is  to  achieve  in  America  what  has  long  been  seen  in  Great 
Britain,  the  union  of  candid,  patient  scholarship  with  genuine  fervor  in 
religious  and  philanthropic  endeavor. 

2.  A  second  noteworthy  tendency  of  the  past  year  is  the  growing 
sense  of  the  underlying  unity  of  all  agencies  aiming  at  moral  and 
religious  development.  To  quote  words  applied  by  President  McKinley 
to  another  subject:  "The  era  of  reciprocity  has  come."  For  men  to 
stand  apart  forever  in  religious  education  simply  because  by  inheritance 
or  by  preference  they  differ  in  liturgical  forms  or  philosophical  explana- 
tions or  theological  formulas,  while  their  fundamental  aims  are  one, 
is  to  entail  upon  our  generation  enormous  educational  loss  as  well  as 
moral  enfeeblement.  We  are  coming  every  year  more  deeply  to  realize 
that  we  must  be  broad  enough  to  make  room  for  broad  men,  and  toler- 
ant enough  to  tolerate  the  intolerant.  Differences  in  definition  or  mode 
of  approach  to  common  problems  must  not  be  allowed  to  erect  insuper- 
able barriers  between  men  whose  objects  and  aspirations  are  identical. 

3.  A  third  characteristic  of  the  past  year  is  the  growing  demand 
for  contact  with  reaUty  in  religious,  as  in  intellectual,  education.  In 
the  intellectual  realm  the  change  in  this  direction  has  been  the  most 
noteworthy  advance  of  the  last  quarter-century.  In  all  elementary  and 
secondary  education,  and  in  all  college  and  university  courses,  the  ten- 
dency has  been  steadily  away  from  words  to  things,  from  symbol  to 
object,  from  text-book  to  laboratory,  from  learning  by  rote  to  learning 
by  doing. 

It  is  impossible  that  this  change  in  the  method  of  education  should 
not  be  felt  in  the  religious  realm.  It  is  now  believed  that  "the  whole 
duty  of  man"  cannot  be  learned  merely  from  the  catechism,  but  that 
"if  any  man  will  do,  ...  he  shall  know."  There  is  a  growing 
distrust  of  the  a  priori  and  dogmatic  method,  and  a  willingness  to 
examine  candidly  and  patiently  the  ultimate  facts.  There  is  a  generally 
increasing  desire  to  face  all  facts  in  psychology,  in  literary  criticism,  in 
historical  research,  in  natural  science,  with  the  conviction  that  no 
truth,  adequately  tested  and  fearlessly  proclaimed,  can  ultimately  dam- 
age either  morality  or  faith.  The  conviction  is  everywhere  growing  that, 
in  the  words  of  James  Russell  Lowell,  "the  universe  of  God  is  fire-proof , 
and  it  is  quite  safe  to  strike  a  match."  If  this  passion  for  reality  has 
led  in  some  instances  to  unconventional  expressions  of  religious  faith, 


12  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

and  to  movements  which  it  is  difficuk  to  understand  and  classify,  yet  on 
the  whole  we  have  come  to  see  that  any  kind  of  expression  and  aspira- 
tion is  better  than  the  sleek  apathy  and  stagnation  which  is  content 
with  outer  correctness  and  is  destitute  of  moral  dynamic. 

4.  There  is  a  general  acknowledgment  on  the  part  of  educators  that 
the  children  and  young  people  of  our  time  are  deficient  in  the  sense  of 
the  imperativeness  of  both  morality  and  religion.  Our  children  are 
more  alert,  sensitive,  and  observant  in  realms  of  nature  and  art  than 
ever  before;  their  senses  are  trained  at  an  early  age;  their  interests  are 
many  and  diversified;  their  powers  are  awakened  and  stimulated  by 
novel  and  striking  methods  of  teaching;  the  contact  of  the  school  with 
society  is  closer  than  ever.  But  the  sense  of  duty  is  not  so  profound 
as  formerly,  and  the  moral  law  seems  less  majestic  and  commanding 
than  to  a  former  generation.  "Our  greatest  weakness,"  writes  one  New 
England  college  president,  "is  a  lack  of  decision  and  strength  in  the 
assertion  of  rightful  authority,  and  a  consequent  lack  of  training  in 
the  fundamental  duty  of  obedience.  .  .  .  The  voice  of  command, 
based  upon  the  eternal  distinction  between  right  and  wrong,  addressed 
to  the  conscience  and  the  will,  is  seldom  heard." 

Many  writers  echo  the  opinion  that  the  great  defect  of  childhood 
to-day  is  the  lack  of  the  spirit  of  acknowledgment  of  rightful  author- 
ity. The  children  of  the  submerged]tenth  vie  with  the  children  of  the  nou- 
veaux  riches  in  ignoring  law,  both  human  and  divine.  The  awe 
which  former  generations  of  children  felt  in  the  presence  of  superior 
wisdom,  age,  and  experience  has  given  place  to  the  mental  attitude 
of  the  children  who  mocked  the  prophet  EUsha.  The  general  neglect 
of  home-training,  combined  with  the  absence  of  ethical  instruction  in 
many  schools,  is  having  its  inevitable  result.  The  sanctions  of  the 
moral  law  are  not  defied,  they  simply  are  not  felt  or  even  perceived. 
Things  are  done  if  they  are  attractive;  otherwise  they  are  passed  and 
forgotten.  The  fading  in  the  modern  world  of  a  vivid  sense  of  the 
imminence  of  future  reward  or  punishment,  the  lessening  at  the  same 
time  of  restraint  in  home  and  school,  and  the  constant  consultation 
of  the  pupil's  tastes  and  choices,  demanded  by  the  extension  of  the 
elective  system  downwards,  and  the  kindergarten  upwards — all  this  is 
apparent  in  growing  disrespect  for  law,  in  impatience  of  social  control, 
and  in  an  egoistic  type  of  morality.  "The  sacrificial  ideal  of  life 
is  almost  wholly  out  of  view,"  writes  a  most  thoughtful  rehgious  leader. 
It  deserves  to  be  considered  whether  the  kindergarten,  with  all  its 
beautiful  tenderness,  its  care  for  the  individual,  its  rightful  exaltation  of 
play,  may  not  often  retain  children  too  long,  and  so  prevent  their  en- 


PROGRESS  IN  RELIGIOUS  AND  MORAL  EDUCATION       13 

trance  into  a  discipline  which  exalts  obligation,  distinguishes  sharply 
between  work  and  play,  and  produces  a  harder  moral  fiber.  It  may 
well  be  considered  whether  the  doctrine  of  interest,  which  has  wrought 
so  beneficent  changes  in  modern  education,  has  not  in  some  quarters 
been  totally  misunderstood,  and  led  to  the  idea  that  duty  is  binding 
only  so  long  as  it  is  attractive.  It  may  be  considered  whether  the 
elective  system,  which  has  done  so  much  for  the  emancipation  of  the  in- 
dividual and  development  of  diverse  talents  and  callings,  may  not  have 
been  so  abused  as  to  lead  to  the  virtual  inference  that  religious  life  is 
optional,  to  be  sought  by  those  who  can  afford  the  time  and  efTort,  rather 
than  essential  to  the  very  existence  of  a  complete  humanity.  Certainly 
many  college  men  of  to-day  tend  to  the  position  that  religious  convic- 
tion and  emotion  are  very  suitable  for  some  temperaments,  but  not  to  be 
expected  by  others.  The  idea  of  specialization  seems  to  be  carried  in 
some  cases  into  the  moral  and  religious  realm,  and  it  is  held  that, 
while  some  men  have  the  gift  of  religious  possibility,  or  are  called  to 
a  sacrificial  life,  others  are  incapable  of  such  ideals,  and  may  well  be 
content  with  industrial  or  financial  success.  The  consciousness  of 
defect  in  these  lines  is  so  widespread  that  the  letters  recently  received 
read  like  reports  from  some  great  confessional.  I  quote  only  two,  one 
from  a  college  president,  the  other  from  the  president  of  a  theological 
seminary.     The  president  of  one  of  our  largest  women's  colleges  writes: 

"We  sugar-coat  all  our  pills  of  learning.  Is  there  not  a  wholesome 
tonic  in  the  old-fashioned  method  of  learning  the  disagreeable  thing,  of 
being  sure  that  two  and  two  do  make  four  and  can  by  no  possibility  be 
twisted  into  anything  else  ?  The  hard  places  of  life  must  be  faced  sooner 
or  later,  and  though  one  wants  to  shield  children  and  young  people 
as  far  as  possible,  yet  it  is  no  true  education  which  does  not  give  them 
a  certain  hardness  of  intellectual  and  moral  fiber,  which  will  enable 
them  to  face  their  own  difficulties,  and  to  accept  even  defeat  always  with 
a  strong  purpose  of  turning  it  into  victory.  Is  there  not  such  a  thing 
as  carrying  the  doctrine  of  vi^orking  in  the  line  of  least  resistance  too 
far,  both  in  intellectual  and  moral  matters?" 

The  president  of  one  of  our  most  influential  theological  seminaries 
makes  the  same  analysis  in  other  words: 

"If  I  may  venture  to  hazard  an  opinion  as  to  the  chief  moral  weak- 
ness in  American  education,  I  would  say  that  it  consists  in  emphasis 
upon  the  idea  that  the  way  to  educate  children  is  to  interest  them.  This 
descends  to  amusement;  and  I  have  found  many  parents,  both  east  and 
west  in  this  country,  complain  that  their  children  were  not  trained  to 
habits  of  study.     That  is  to  say,  the  great  principle,  that  education 


14  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

has  to  do  more  with  the  will  than  with  any  other  function  of  conscious- 
ness, is  neglected  to  an  alarming  extent.  This  must  exert  an  adverse 
influence  upon  the  whole  moral  development  of  the  child.  It  gives  rise 
not  only  to  the  thirst  for  amusement,  but  also  to  the  inclination  to 
move  in  the  line  of  least  resistance,  and  to  a  sentimental  view  of  life 
as  a  whole.  Sentimentalism  is,  perhaps,  the  chief  danger  in  the  atmos- 
phere of  contemporary  religion." 

When  a  general  defect  in  the  educational  process  of  a  nation  thus  rises 
into  the  consciousness  of  intellectual  leaders,  and  is  frankly  analyzed 
and  expressed,  we  are  justified  in  recording  real  educational  progress. 

5.  Closely  connected  with  this  defect  is  another  — the  lack  of 
thoroughness  in  thought  and  action.  The  superficiality  in  Bible 
study,  which  has  often  prevailed  in  the  past,  is  simply  part  of  a  general 
contentment  with  the  surface  of  things.  Everywhere  there  is  alert- 
ness, eagerness,  and  movement;  but  there  is  a  demand  for  swift  results 
which  allows  little  time  for  the  ripening  of  knowledge  into  wisdom. 
It  is  the  general  conviction  of  college  teachers  that,  while  the  freshmen 
of  to-day ,  know  more  than  their  fathers  knew  at  the  same  age,  they  are 
inferior  to  their  fathers  in  logical  strength,  in  power  of  concentration, 
and  in  the  faculty  of  sustained  thought.  "They  all  lack  continuity 
of  thinking,"  writes  one  university  professor.  Out  of  such  conditions 
we  can  see  how  easily  may  arise  the  flippancy,  irreverence,  and 
irresponsibility  which  are  not  unknown  in  any  public  or  private  school. 
The  haste  to  be  wise  may  be  as  fatal  as  the  haste  to  be  rich. 

But  a  consciousness  of  this  deficiency,  instead  of  being  cause  for 
discouragement,  must  be  regarded  as  the  first  step  in  its  abolition.  A 
sign  of  genuine  progress  is  that  teachers  and  leaders  are  everywhere 
declining  to  join  in  the  demand  for  immediate  results,  and  are  seeking 
a  permanent  deposit  in  the  character  and  life  of  the  pupil.  • 

II.  If,  then,  our  general  survey  shows  decided  progress  in  unprece- 
dented activity,  in  increasing  solidarity  of  educational  forces,  in  a 
growing  demand  for  reality,  in  a  growing  consciousness  of  the  lack  of 
imperativeness  in  motive  and  thoroughness  in  method,  we  are  prepared 
to  examine  certain  specific  agencies  through  which  our  generation  is 
seeking  to  supply  its  deficiencies  and  reahze  its  aspirations. 

I.  The  year  has  been  notable  for  its  pubUcations  dealing  with  the 
principles  and  methods  of  religious  education.  These  publications  are 
marked  by  a  broader  outlook  and  a  more  philosophical  treatment  than 
any  previously  put  forth.  The  merely  homiletic  has  given  place  to  the 
genuinely  educational,  and  the  life  of  the  spirit  has  at  last  appeared  as 
worthy  of  serious  study  as  the  purely  cognitive  or  the  logical  process. 


PROGRESS  OF  RELIGIOUS  AND  MORAL  EDUCATION       15 

The  real  "helps"  needed  by  our  Sunday  school  teachers  are  not  minia- 
ture sermons,  or  moralizings,  or  illustrations;  rather  do  they  need  under- 
standing of  the  child-nature,  knowledge  of  the  principles  of  teaching,  and 
the  elementary  facts  in  religious  psychology.  The  report  of  the  last 
meeting  of  the  Religious  Education  Association,  published  in  one 
volume,  constitutes  in  itself  a  contribution  to  this  subject  of  permanent 
value,  remarkable  for  the  unity  of  aim  exhibited  by  men  of  various 
churches,  temperaments,  schools  of  thought,  and  sections  of  the  country. 
The  founding  during  the  year  of  "The  American  Journal  of  Religious 
Psychology  and  Education"  is  most  significant.  It  is  a  sign  of  the 
times  that  psychologists  are  at  last  convinced  that  the  study  of  the 
phenomena  of  conversion  and  religious  development  is  not  a  realm 
of  mist  and  illusion,  but  is  worthy  of  the  best  scientific  method  and  the 
most  patient  investigation  that  trained  students  can  give.  President  G. 
Stanley  Hall's  monumental  work  on  "Adolescence"  includes  sections 
dealing  with  the  growth  of  the  moral  personality,  and  contains  a  wealth 
of  material  which  can  never  be  neglected  by  any  subsequent  student. 
Professor  George  A.  Coe's  work  on  "Education  in  Religion  and 
Morals"  will  probably  become  a  text-book  for  a  multitude  of  earnest 
teachers.  "Personal  and  Ideal  Elements  in  Education,"  by  President 
Henry  Churchill  King,  expresses  ideals  and  convictions  which  are 
rapidly  becoming  potent  forces  in  the  life  of  our  most  thoughtful 
religious  leaders.  "Moral  Education,"  by  Edward  Howard  Griggs, 
deals  with  the  same  problems  from  a  wholly  different  standpoint. 
"The  Philosophy  of  Education,"  by  Professor  H.  H.  Home,  sets  forth 
principles  which  have  direct  application  in  the  field  we  are  now  discuss- 
ing. The  fact  that  these  books  should  appear  in  the  same  year,  and 
that  the  methods  they  advocate  are  now  being  explained  and  enforced 
in  scores  of  periodicals  and  from  a  multitude  of  platforms  and  pulpits, 
is  a  fact  of  far-reaching  importance. 

2.  The  discussion  of  the  objects  and  methods  of  the  Sunday  school 
has  been  incessant  during  the  last  twelve  months.  No  subject  can  be 
deemed  more  important.  If  the  Sunday  school  is  the  church  at  study, 
if  there  are  by  a  conservative  estimate  more  than  thirteen  million  per- 
sons enrolled  in  these  schools,  and  if  over  eighty-five  per  cent  of 
our  church  members  come  from  these  schools,  we  have  in  this  vast 
undertaking  a  most  potent  force  for  the  development  of  the  national 
character.  The  "searchings  of  heart"  which  mark  all  education  to- 
day are  especially  insistent  in  this  field.  On  the  whole,  the  situation  is 
distinctly  encouraging.  If  most  of  us  would  agree  with  the  university 
professor  who  writes,    "Neither  the  aim  nor  the  method  of  the  Sunday 


i6  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

school  has  been  modified  during  the  century  of  its  existence  to  the  extent 
that  the  conditions  warrant,"  yet,  on  the  other  hand,  we  must  agree  with 
the  Southern  editor  who  affirms,  "More  has  been  done  since  Feb- 
ruary, 1903,  to  put  the  Sunday  school  on  an  educational  basis  than 
during  the  score  of  years  immediately  preceding."  The  meeting  of  the 
Religious  Education  Association  two  years  ago  sent  a  thrill  of  hope  and 
expectation  throughout  the  Sunday  schools  of  America,  while  the  meet- 
ing of  last  year  transmuted  this  hope  into  an  organized  endeavor. 
It  was  felt  by  the  most  thoughtful  leaders  in  the  education  of  the  young 
that  at  last  the  scattered  aspirations  of  hundreds  of  people  were 
being  crystallized  into  action,  that  the  emancipation,  long  hindered 
by  inveterate  habit  and  timorous  counsels  and  vested  interests,  was  at 
hand,  and  that,  not  by  defiance  and  revolution,  but  by  the  quiet  emergence 
of  better  ideals  and  deeper  understanding  and  a  more  catholic  spirit, 
the  new  day  had  dawned.  From  all  sections  of  the  country  now  come 
reports  of  noteworthy,  and  in  some  cases  remarkable,  progress.  The 
Episcopal  Church  has,  perhaps,  in  this  work  taken  a  position  of  leader- 
ship. It  has  published  during  the  year  thirty-five  text-books  and 
twelve  manuals  of  instruction.  At  its  General  Convention,  held  at 
Boston  in  the  month  of  October,  a  new  Sunday  School  Commission 
was  appointed,  consisting  of  seven  bishops,  seven  clergymen,  and  seven 
laymen.  At  the  same  time  a  Federation  of  Sunday-school  Associations 
was  formed,  and  the  entire  Convention  felt  itself  on  the  verge  of  a 
great  forward  movement.  The  work  of  the  Sunday  School  Commission 
of  the  Diocese  of  New  York,  as  recorded  in  its  quarterly  Bulletin,  is  a 
work  of  statesmanship  and  devotion,  the  results  of  which  are  being 
studied  throughout  the  country. 

The  Congregational  churches,  at  their  recent  triennial  conference 
in  Des  Moines,  put  upon  a  working  basis  a  Sunday  School  Commission 
created  three  years  ago  for  the  purpose  of  developing  rehgious  educa- 
tion throughout  the  denomination.  The  Southern  Presbyterians  have 
revolutionized  their  work  within  two  years.  In  the  last  year  they  have 
placed  several  competent  men  in  the  field,  whose  business  it  is  to  help 
the  churches  to  better  things  in  religious  education.  The  same  thing 
may  be  said  of  the  Southern  Baptists,  who  have  during  the  year 
divided  their  territory  into  districts,  and  put  experienced  men  in  charge 
of  the  work  of  Bible  study  and  general  religious  training.  The  Meth- 
odist Church,  both  in  the  North  and  in  the  South,  is  aroused  on  this 
subject,  and  is  scattering  its  literature  far  and  wide,  filled  with  sugges- 
tion, stimulus,  and  outlines  of  method.  The  Unitarians  have  published 
a  series  of  graded  lessons  of  a  thoughtful  and  scholarly  character. 


PROGRESS  IN  RELIGIOUS  AND  MORAL  EDUCATION       17 

Both  religion  and  education  are  setting  "the  child  in  the  midst," 
and  joining  hands  in  training  him  for  a  life  of  mental  and  moral  effi- 
ciency. 

3.  The  young  people's  societies  connected  with  the  various  religious 
denominations  are  obviously  in  a  transitional  period.  They  are  suffer- 
ing at  present  from  a  conflict  of  ideals,  but  in  this  very  conflict  there  is 
encouragement.  The  older  ideal  laid  emphasis  chiefly  on  self-expression 
in  reUgious  assemblies,  and  found  its  culminating  success  in  vast  con- 
ventions where  the  boundless  enthusiasm  of  youth  overflowed  in 
dramatic  and  memorable  scenes.  It  is  stiU  true  that  the  great  gather- 
ings of  the  summer  are  potent  forces,  and  the  oral  expression  of 
rehgious  feeling  has  its  rightful  place.  But  the  emphasis  is  now 
being  quietly  transferred,  in  many  societies,  to  the  attainment  rather 
than  the  expression  of  experience,  and  the  societies  are  becoming 
groups  of  students.  The  Young  People's  Society  of  Christian  En- 
deavor, the  Epworth  League,  the  Baptist  Young  People's  Union,  the 
Christian  Union  of  United  Brethren,  the  Young  People's  Union  of  the 
United  Presbyterian  Church,  and  the  Brotherhood  of  Andrew  and 
Philip,  include  altogether  about  five  million  members,  and  the  ideals 
of  these  societies  are  a  shaping  power  in  the  whole  nation.  The 
Baptist  Young  People's  Union  conducts  four  courses  of  study.  The 
studies  are  published  in  the  form  of  a  monthly  magazine,  which  now 
has  a  circulation  of  twenty-seven  thousand  copies.  Ten  thousand  ex- 
amination papers  were  sent  in  by  students  in  these  courses  last  year, 
and  through  the  stimulus  of  such  study  many  young  people  have  been 
led  to  seek  a  college  education.  The  Epworth  League  has  courses 
of  Bible  study  in  which  the  whole  Bible  is  covered  in  three  years. 
About  twenty-three  thousand  students  are  enrolled  in  these  courses. 
In  the  Junior  League  a  simpler  course  is  offered,  with  an  enrollment 
of  over  nine  thousand  students. 

4.  The  moral  and  religious  life  of  our  colleges  must  be  a  matter  of 
concern  to  every  American  citizen.  In  the  last  thirty  years  our  colleges 
have  swung  away  from  the  EngUsh  ideals  of  their  founders,  and  have 
come  under  the  influence  of  the  German  university.  We  have  imported 
from  Germany  more  than  laboratories  and  seminaries;  we  have 
imported  the  university  attitude  toward  students.  We  have  discarded 
the  paternal  idea,  and  have  introduced  a  large  measure  of  self-gov- 
ernment. We  have  treated  the  students,  not  as  boys,  but  as  men, 
and  have  cultivated  responsibility,  self-direction,  election,  not  only  of 
studies,  but  of  modes  of  hfe,  and  have  allowed  the  religious  effort 
to  proceed  chiefly,  not  from  the  faculty,  but  from  organizations  within 


i8  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

the  student  body.  So  far  as  this  change  means  a  diminished  moral 
leadership  on  the  part  of  the  teaching  staff,  as  it  often  does,  it  is  to  be 
deeply  regretted.  But  so  far  as  it  means  a  more  manly  and  efficient  type 
of  religious  character  on  the  part  of  the  students,  the  result  of  self- 
control  and  deliberate  choice,  it  is  to  be  welcomed. 

The  Young  Men's  Christian  Association  continues  to  do  a  potent  work 
through  its  branches  in  the  various  colleges.  That  work,  in  spite  of  what 
some  may  consider  limitations,  is  constantly  growing  in  wisdom  and 
power,  and  is  to-day  a  source  of  gratification  to  all  who  understand  it. 

In  general  it  may  be  said  that  the  religious  forces  in  college  life 
are,  if  not  stronger  better  adjusted  to  the  conditions  about  them  than 
ever  before.  Undoubtedly  the  devotional  element  in  the  average  chapel 
service  does  not  appeal  to  the  students  as  it  once  did.  This  is  espe- 
cially true  in  colleges  for  men  only.  Religion  is  interpreted  in  terms 
of  action  and  life  rather  than  in  terms  of  formal  worship.  It  is  trans- 
lated into  ethics  rather  than  the  practice  of  devotion.  Thus,  if  the 
student  prayer  meeting  has  waned,  the  interest  of  the  student  in  mis- 
sions, and  philanthropy,  and  the  service  of  his  generation  has  steadily 
increased.  There  is  less  interest  in  subjective  states,  less  "testimony," 
but  far  deeper  interest  in  doing  good  to  one's  fellow-men,  far  greater 
admiration  for  a  genuinely  unselfish  Hfe,  and  a  decidedly  higher  standard 
of  student  honor.  The  reHgion  of  college  men  is  more  healthy,  stable, 
and  intelligent,  and,  if  it  is  less  emotional,  is  more  pervasive  than 
twenty  years  ago.  Whatever  religion  the  college  student  has  is  more 
fully  co-ordinated  with  all  his  intellectual  possessions.  No  longer  kept 
in  a  separate  compartment,  it  influences  all  his  thinking  and  doing. 

5.  The  theological  seminaries,  if  not  so  responsive  to  educational 
movements  as  are  the  institutions  which  deal  with  younger  pupils  and 
appeal  to  a  larger  constituency,  are  in  some  cases  making  earnest  efforts 
toward  co-operation  with  the  great  educational  forces  of  our  time. 
Some  of  them  are  entering  into  alliances,  more  or  less  formal,  with 
universities. 

In  the  study  of  missions  the  best  seminaries  are  seeking  not  simply 
to  give  a  swift  sketch  of  events  in  missionary  history,  but  an  intensive 
study  of  missions  as  social  facts  and  powers,  their  relation  to  the  de- 
velopment of  nations  and  races,  and  their  proved  place  in  the  Kingdom 
of  God.  A  few  seminaries  are  teaching  the  literary  languages  of  the 
larger  mission  fields,  and  offering  courses  in  comparative  religion.  In 
pedagogy,  the  attempt  is  made  to  present  not  only  abstract  principles  of 
teaching,  but  to  introduce  drill  in  methods  of  procedure,  and  to  give 
training  by  actual  experience  in  the  work. 


PROGRESS  IN  RELIGIOUS  AND  MORAL  EDUCATION       19 

The  question  of  the  supply  of  men  for  the  ministry  has  engaged  the 
attention  of  all  the  seminaries.  There  is  a  general  conviction,  which 
can  hardly  be  either  supported  or  refuted  by  an  array  of  statistics, 
that  the  ministerial  calling  is  not  securing  its  fair  proportion,  in  respect 
of  numbers  or  ability,  of  the  educated  manhood  of  our  time. 

The  student  volunteer  movement  has  given  our  missionary  societies 
more  men  than  they  can  send  forth,  men  who  are  glad  to  face  priva- 
tion and  danger  and  death,  because  they  have  been  made  familiar 
with  this  opportunity  for  service.  If  a  fraction  of  the  same  effort  were 
devoted  to  the  education  of  our  young  men  in  knowledge  of  the  oppor- 
tunities for  influencing  America  through  the  functions  exercised  by  the 
Hebrew  prophets,  by  the  reformers  of  the  sixteenth  century,  and  by  the 
prophetic  founders  of  New  England,  thousands  of  our  ablest  young 
men  would  eagerly  respond.  We  need  for  the  service  of  the  church 
just  such  representative  young  men  as  Cecil  Rhodes  sought  to  gather 
at  Oxford  by  means  of  his  great  bequest — men  of  intellectual  and  moral 
grasp,  and  power  of  leadership  among  their  fellows.  Our  civilization 
cannot  endure  without  leaders  of  spiritual  vision  and  prophetic  power. 


[        HOW  CAN  WE  BRING  THE  INDIVIDUAL  INTO 
CONSCIOUS  RELATION  WITH   GOD? 

THE   DIRECT   INFLUENCE   OF  GOD    UPON   ONE'S    LIFE 
REV.  WILLIAM  FRASER  McDOWELL,  D.D.,  LL.D. 

BISHOP   OF  THE   METHODIST   EPISCOPAL   CHURCH,   CHICAGO,   ILLINOIS 

Our  definitions  and  doctrines  should  always  emerge  at  the  highest 
levels,  not  at  the  lowest,  nor  even  at  the  lower.  Our  conception  of  life 
must  be  based  upon  the  best  specimens  of  life  available  for  our  study 
or  observation.  What  God  may  be  in  human  life  is  to  be  determined 
by  His  own  thought  of  it,  illustrated  and  exemplified  by  the  most  per- 
fect cases  on  record.  The  question  is  neither  speculative  nor  academic; 
it  is  vital  and  immediate.  Of  this  we  all  have  knowledge.  "  That 
which  we  have  seen  and  heard  declare  we." 

The  visible  center  of  our  association  is  a  literature.  The  invisible 
center  is  a  Person.  The  book  is  related  to  Him  as  to  its  source,  as  to 
its  substance,  and  as  to  its  purpose.  Without  Him  it  would  neither 
have  been,  nor  would  it  have  been  worth  while.  "  The  Bible  is  the 
expression  of  an  experience."  It  would  not  have  been  a  Bible  if  it  had 
not  been  an  experience.  The  literature  is  shot  through  with  the  sense 
of  God's  direct  relation  to  human  life.  Every  figure  of  speech  is  used 
to  make  that  clear.  But  the  literature  is  thus  full  of  the  sense  of  God's 
direct  presence  because  Hebrew  life  and  early  Christian  life  was  thus 
full  of  it.  They  wrote  it  all  down  thus  because  it  had  thus  happened 
to  them.  God  is  so  supreme  a  figure  in  the  book  because  he  was  so 
large  a  figure  in  personal  life.  It  is  the  expression  of  an  experience  of 
God. 

And  this  is  the  outstanding  note  of  those  Scriptures  themselves.  All 
that  the  Bible  means  by  such  words  as,  "  and  the  word  of  the  Lord 
came,"  "  and  God  said,"  "  and  the  Lord  appeared";  all  that  we  mean 
at  last  by  the  noble  term  "  revelation,"  when  we  are  at  its  heart;  and 
all  that  we  mean  by  such  terms  as  incarnation  and  Immanuel  are 
woven  inextricably  into  personal  life.  There  was  no  doubt  of  God's 
direct  influence  in  the  Old  Testament  days.  In  a  thousand  ways  He 
was  shaping  men,  nations,  and  events.  Individual  lives,  as  Abraham's, 
Jacob's,  and  Moses's,  changed  character  and  relations  under  His 
direct  touch.  There  was  the  immediate  consciousness  of  God.  He 
pervaded  life.     He  was  immanent  everywhere.     He  spoke  immediately 


THE  INDIVIDUAL'S  CONSCIOUS  RELATION  WITH  GOD    21 

to  the  soul  of  man.  To  the  highest  souls  of  the  race,  as  Professor  Seth 
has  put  it,  "  God  was  an  experience,  not  simply  an  object."  Or  as 
another  has  said:  "  '  The  Spirit  '  has  always  been  an  expression  for 
some  form  of  the  divine  immanence.  The  writer  who  used  it  has  al- 
ways represented  God  as  immediately  present  in  human  life  and  the 
world  of  common  affairs,  imparting  skill  to  the  workman's  fingers, 
wisdom  to  the  statesman's  judgment,  or  eloquence  and  cogency  to  the 
prophet's  plea."  One  might  add  that  He  was  chiefly  imparting  life 
and  character,  health  and  righteousness,  goodness  and  true  lioliness 
to  men  and  women. 

"  I  never  doubt  for  a  moment  the  real  presence  of  God  " —  we  find 
the  late  Burne- Jones,  the  artist,  quoted  as  saying.  "  I  never  could  de- 
bate about  it,  any  more  than  I  could  argue  about  beauty  and  the  things 
I  most  love,"  he  added. 

More  than  a  quarter  of  a  century  ago  I  came  to  this  city  to  study 
theology.  Almost  the  very  first  voice  I  heard  was  the  voice  of  Phillips 
Brooks.  And  no  lesson  did  he  teach  either  by  his  preaching  or  his  Hfe 
more  clearly  than  the  great  lesson  in  these  words:  "  He  is  the  effectively 
present  deity.  He  is  God  continually  in  the  midst  of  men  and  touching 
their  daily  lives.  He  is  the  God  of  perennial  and  daily  aspiration, 
the  Comforter  to  whom  we  look  in  the  most  pressing  needs  of  comfort 
which  fill  our  common  life.  He  is  the  God  of  continual  contact  with 
mankind.  The  doctrine  of  the  Holy  Ghost  is  a  continual  protest 
against  every  recurring  tendency  to  separate  God  from  the  current 
world."  So  indeed  it  always  seemed  while  Brooks  was  here.  Another 
minister  in  this  very  city  recently  stated  his  dominant  conviction  to 
be  that  of  an  "  increasing  awareness  of  the  presence  of  God  in  the 
world,  in  every  part  of  the  world,  and  in  the  life  of  man." 

We  shall  hear  this  note  more  frequently  and  more  clearly  in  our 
time.  We  shall  recall  our  generation  to  this  majestic  truth,  "  written 
large  across  the  pages  of  Scripture  and  in  every  land  and  time,  that 
God  dwells  in  the  heart  of  men."  We  shall  tell  our  children  that  as 
God  was  with  our  fathers  to  make  them  good  and  wise,  so  He  is 
with  us. 

In  certain  atmospheres  and  conditions  it  is  easy  both  to  believe  and 
understand  the_  fact  of  God's  direct  influence  upon  the  life  of  man. 
It  seems  to  have  been  easier  when  the  world  was  younger,  and  the 
race  nearer  its  childhood.  It  is  not  hard  at  all  to  understand  it  as  we 
see  it  in  the  brief  years  of  the  incarnation.  We  see  how  men  went 
into  the  school  of  Christ,  with  Christ,  and  were  influenced  by  Him  in 
all  those  splendid  ways  that  make  for  the  transformation  of  character. 


22  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

He  loved  them;  but  many  teachers  have  done  that.  He  taught  them 
His  truth;  but  many  have  done  that.  They  watched  and  studied  and 
possibly  tried  to  imitate  Him;  but  many  pupils  have  done  that  with 
their  teachers  since  the  days  of  Socrates.  But  somehow  He  imparted 
Himself  to  them,  and  did  it  in  such  fashion  as  to  leave  the  impression 
that  this  was  what  men  might  expect!  The  thing  is  a  living  pano- 
rama going  on  there,  going  on  here,  going  on  everywhere,  one  per- 
sonality directly  influencing  other  personalities.  Its  pedagogical 
and  religious  significance  has  not  yet  been  fully  worked  out  by  us. 
And  we  cannot  work  it  out  except  in  life.  If  one  really  wants  to  know 
how  and  how  far  the  life  of  Jesus  is  imitable,  let  him  try  it.  Certainly, 
modern  Christendom  is  nowhere  near  the  border  of  fanaticism  yet  in 
its  imitation  of  its  Master,  If  any  one  really  wants  to  know  how 
and  how  far  God  can  and  will  exert  direct  influence  upon  one's  life, 
let  him  rationally,  resolutely,  and  obediently  submit  himself  to  God. 
He  will  find  out. 

The  doctrine  is  most  easily  understood  and  believed  in  the  presence 
of  the  best  types  of  life,  ancient  and  modern.  Abstractly,  one  feels 
that  God  ought  to  be  in  direct  touch  with  human  life.  In  the  large 
view  of  life  which  history  and  biography  afford,  one  easily  feels  that  He 
is  and  has  been.  We  are  not  confined  to  those  fascinating  chapters 
known  as  the  history  of  mysticism  for  this  conviction.  The  mystics 
are  not  the  only  ones  who  have  practised  the  presence  of  God.  They 
have  been  conscious  of  "  God's  most  intimate  presence  in  the  soul." 
They  knew  what  St.  Paul  meant  by  the  words:  "In  Him  we  live, 
and  move,  and  have  our  being."  They  knew  also  the  significance  of 
the  other  words:  God  is  "  not  far  from  every  one  of  us."  But  this  has 
not  been  and  is  not  the  exclusive  possession  of  one  type  of  Christian. 
Nothing  is  more  remarkable  than  the  immense  variety  in  the  men 
who  in  all  ages  have  become  subject  to  Christ.  God  has  touched 
with  power  every  kind  of  man.  His  influence  is  no  pitiable  force 
limited  to  one  type.  It  is  the  one  royal  fact,  outstanding  in  human 
history,  giving  sanctity  and  hope  to  every  type  of  life. 

The  consideration  of  God's  direct  influence  upon  one's  life  leads 
inevitably  to  a  study  of  ^the  place  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  life. 

It  was  not  unnatural  to  desire  that  the  direct  influence  of  Jesus 
might  continue.  But  it  was  Jesus  who  said  those  strange  words,  still 
not  quite  believed,  that  it  was  expedient  for  the  others  that  he  should 
go  away.  His  own  withdrawal  from  their  sight  carried  the  pledge 
of  God's  continued,  enlarged,  wider,  and  richer  presence  in  life.  There 
was  nothing  that  God  was  then  doing  or  trying  to  do  for  men  that  He 


THE  INDIVIDUAL'S  CONSCIOUS  RELATION  WITH  GOD    23 

was  not  pledged  to  continue.  And  He  has  kept  His  pledge  to  men 
and  the  church.  The  Spirit  is  God  exerting  power  in  human  life. 
"  Where  the  Spirit  dwells  and  works,  God  dwells  and  works."  Thus 
He  is  immanent  in  men.  Our  tendency  is  rather  to  exaggerate  the 
achievements  of  the  disciples  during  Jesus's  earthly  life.  Manifestly 
he  expected  us  to  do  better  than  they.  It  is  of  the  essence  of  infidelity 
to  deny  His  words.  We  may  speak  modestly  and  still  believe  that  un- 
der the  Spirit  we  have  done  quite  as  well  in  comprehending  truth,  in 
the  conduct  of  life,  and  in  Christian  activity  as  they  did.  God  has 
been  not  less  immediate,  but  more.  He  has  been,  not  a  guest  of  human 
life,  but  a  resident  in  human  life.  All  those  things  that  we  would  like 
to  have  God  do  for  us,  in  us,  and  with  us,  the  Spirit  —  God  exerting 
power  —  does.  It  is  one  of  the  misfortunes  of  modern  Christianity 
that  it  imagines  itself  to  be  deprived  of  some  advantages  in  these  days 
of  the  Spirit  that  it  would  have  had  in  the  days  of  the  incarnation. 
The  cry  "  back  to  Christ  "  was  not  a  sign  of  unmixed  wisdom  or  of  the 
most  rational  and  luminous  faith. 

The  fanatic  has  sometimes  misused  the  doctrine  of  the  Spirit,  and 
driven  men  away  from  reality.  The  remedy  for  a  fanatical  use  of 
truth  is  a  sane  and  rational  use  of  truth.  And  if  our  generation  shall 
recover  for  men's  lives  t^e  truth  of  the  Spirit,  as  the  truth  of  the  divine 
Fatherhood  and  the  truth  of  Christ  have  largely  been  recovered,  then 
we  shall  deserve  well  of  those  who  come  after  us. 

Finally,  how  shall  the  sense  of  God's  direct  influence  be  begotten 
in  men?  How  can  we  make  universal  what  is  certainly  frequent? 
How  can  we  make  constant  what  is  surely  occasional?  We  easily  be- 
lieve in  the  direct  influence  of  God  at  life's  best  moments  and  in  the 
presence  of  the  best  men.  Here  is  the  test  of  faith;  that  it  shall  believe 
in  the  possibility  of  His  influence  everywhere  and  always.  No  other 
unbelief  is  more  subtle  and  deadly  than  this  which  doubts  His  direct 
and  immediate  touch  upon  the  life  of  man. 

How  does  one  man  influence  another?  By  living  with  him,  by 
teaching  him  his  truth,  by  revealing  his  character,  by  setting  before 
him  his  plans  and  purposes,  by  giving  him  help  and  asking  help  of 
him  in  return,  by  giving  him  love  and  asking  his  love  in  return,  by 
being  strength  and  comfort  to  him  in  life's  daily  struggle  —  by  all  that 
one  life  can  be  to  another.  No  man  can  tell  the  story  or  put  it  down 
in  words.  We  cannot  say  it,  try  as  we  may.  Even  the  Bible  itself 
does  not  fully  say  it.  By  every  figure  of  speech  and  by  every  kind  of 
utterance,  it  tries,-  but  at  last  the  secret  of  the  Lord  is  only  with  them 
that  fear  Him. 


24  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

How  can  God's  direct  influence  be  increased  and  maintained?  By 
the  practice  of  His  presence,  by  fellowship  with  Him  in  prayer,  by 
companionship  with  Him  in  labor,  by  the  study  of  His  word  and  His 
works,  by  the  doing  of  His  work;  by  dwelling  in  the  secret  of  His 
presence  and  being  His  servants  in  the  world. 

Once  it  was  said  of  a  group  that  others  took  knowledge  of  them 
that  they  had  been  with  Jesus  and  learned  of  Him.  Do  you  see? 
Need  I  go  on? 

Forty-four  years  ago,  almost  on  this  very  date,  Abraham  Lincoln's 
neighbors  in  Illinois  gathered  about  him  to  say  good  by  as  he  started 
to  take  up  his  life's  heroic  task.  Among  other  things,  he  said:  "Trust- 
ing in  Him  who  can  go  with  me  and  remain  with  you  and  be  every- 
where for  good,  let  us  confidently  hope  that  all  will  yet  be  well."  May 
the  Lord  of  hosts  be  with  us  as  He  was  with  our  fathers! 


THE   BIBLE  AS  AN  AID   TO   SELF-DISCOVERY 
PRESIDENT    HENRY    CHURCHILL   KING,  D.  D. 

OBERLIN   COLLEGE,   OBERLIN,    OHIO 

Has  the  Bible  any  pre-eminent  place  in  bringing  the  man  of  the 
twentieth  century  to  self-discovery?  Especially,  can  it  help  him  to 
that  highest  self-knowledge  that  implies  conscious  relation  with  God? 
If  so,  it  must  be  because  in  pre-eminent  degree  it  makes  available  a 
wealth  of  complex  experience,  puts  us  in  direct  contact  with  the  most 
significant  personal  life,  and  challenges  our  every  power  even  more 
by  the  depth  than  by  the  breadth  of  its  appeal. 

It  is  worth  noting,  that  the  question  has  been  already  tested  for  us 
in  history.  It  was  the  Christianity  of  the  Bible  that  awakened  men 
to  real  self-consciousness,  made  forever  impossible  the  simple, 
satisfied  attitude  of  antiquity  toward  life  and  the  world,  and  compelled 
the  bringing  in  of  the  modern  romantic  spirit.  In  the  words  of  a  great 
philosopher,  "  Christianity  had  demolished  this  calm  self-sufficingness 
of  the  secular  world  "  in  which  the  ancient  rested.  "  There  began  then 
to  be  developed,  for  the  first  time,  that  personal  consciousness  which 
thenceforward,  with  all  its  problems, —  freedom  of  the  will  and  pre- 
destination, guilt  and  responsibihty,  resurrection  and  immortahty, — 
has  given  a  totally  different  coloring  to  the  whole  background  of  man's 
mental  life."  Paulsen  makes  "  the  longing  for  the  transcendent  "  one 
of  the  truths  which  "  Christianity  has  engraven  upon  the  hearts  of  men." 
"  Antiquity,"  he  adds,  "  was  satisfied  with  the  earth;  the  modern  era 
has  never  been  wholly  free  from  the  feeling  that  the  given  reality  is 
inadequate."  Now,  the  Book  whose  influence  has  been  thus  sufficiently 
powerful  to  draw  the  decisive  line  of  demarkation  between  the  ancient 
and  the  modern  worlds,  and  to  awaken  the  modern  man  to  that  which 
is  most  characteristic  in  his  consciousness,  can  hardly  fail  of  pre-emi- 
nent power  in  bringing  the  individual  to  the  discovery  of  himself. 

No  man,  certainly,  is  likely  to  come  to  full  self-knowledge  inde- 
pendently of  those  influences  which  have  streamed  forth  from  the 
Bible.  It  suggests  the  laws  of  our  life  and  it  tests  our  powers  in  too 
concrete  and  telhng  a  fashion  to  be  wisely  ignored. 

The  Bible  is  a  most  deeply  and  broadly  human  hook;  and  so  fur- 
nishes that  appeal  of  complex  experience  so  necessary  to  full  self- 
consciousness.  It  touches  unerringly  the  whole  gamut  of  the  deeper 
human  emotions  and  aspirations,  and  embodies  them  in  figures  that 

25 


26  THE  .\rMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

mankind  will  not  wHlingly  let  die.  The  expereince  of  the  race  in- 
creasingly confirms  the  testimony  of  Lotze,  who  says  even  of  the  Old 
Testament,  that  "  for  the  most  faithful  delineation  of  the  ever-recur- 
ring fundamental  characteristics  0}  human  life,  .  .  .  the  Hebrew 
histories  and  hymns  are  imperishable  models."  And  he  adds,  con- 
cerning this  miiversal  human  appeal  of  the  Scripture:  *'  The  treasures 
of  classic  cultture  are  open  to  but  few,  but  from  that  Eastern  foimtain 
cotmtless  multitudes  of  men  have  for  centuries  gone  on  dra^ving  en- 
nobling consolation  La  misery,  judicious  doctrines  of  practical  wisdom, 
and  warm  enthusiasm  for  all  that  is  exalted."  A  book  with  such  breadth 
of  appeal  cannot  fail  to  stir  to  larger  self-consciousness  any  man  who 
will  face  its  phenomena  with  attention. 

Moreover,  it  is  of  critical  importance  as  an  aid  to  self-discovery, 
that  the  Bible  should  be  in  such  rare  degree  a  personal  hook;  for  per- 
sons are  chiefly  stirred  by  persons.  And  the  Bible  is  so  instinct  with 
life,  that  it  is  hardly  possible  to  put  the  point  of  a  needle  into  it  any- 
where without  drawing  blood.  It  brings  us  face  to  face  with  what 
must  be  counted  the  most  significant  line  of  personaUties  which  his- 
tory an}'where  presents.  -\nd  it  is  the  great  glory  of  the  historical 
study  of  these  later  years  that  it  enables  us  to  see  these  prophetic  men 
as  h\-ing  personahties,  facing  precise  problems.  Nothing  so  stirs  and 
fructifies  our  own  life,  nothing  so  brings  tis  to  glad  sense  of  our  owm 
higher  possibilities,  as  this  appreciative  and  responsive  sharing  of  the 
\-isions  of  the  higher  man.  Like  children,  we  grow  best  by  tr}dng  to 
measi:re  up  to  things  beyond  our  present  capacity.  And  tins  .=plendid 
vision  haunts  as  perpetually,  until  we  have  tr:ed  to  make  it  our  owr 
in  deed  as  weU  as  in  thought.     We  come  to  a  new  splf-consciousnes=. 

For  It  is  only  true  to  say.  on  the  one  hand,  even  of  the  Old  Testa- 
ment ;  that  it  is  the  one  ^reai  moral  book  of  antiquity.  It  is  net  a  mere 
o  Uection  cf  mora^  aphorisms,  but  shows  the  cevelop'ng  moral  sense 
everywhere,  in  e\er}-thing.  Character  is  leally  the  supieme  interest 
in  this  bock.  Among  all  the  ancient  peoples  in  truth,  only  the  Jews 
haVw  the  modem  sense  of  sin.  and  the  Bible  is,  in  this  particular,  the 
only  ancient  book  with  a  really  mrdem  tone.  Compared  with  these 
s.>Ler  Jews,  ewn  the  sifted  Gretks  are  but  placing  children  in  their 
sense  of  sin  and  character.  This  clear  and  coristantly  deveiopijig 
euhical  tore  matk^    ut  the  Bibie  distil  rlly  irom  all  other  ancient  books. 

And  when  one  passes  to  the  New  Testament,  ihis  powerfiu  ethical 
impression  is  only  increased.  One  may  well  say  with  Sabatier:  'What 
other  bcok  like  this  can  awaken  dumb  or  sleeping  consciences,  reveal 
the  secret  needs  of  the  soul,  sharpen  the  thr^-n  of  sin  and  pre;=  its  cruel 


THE  BIBLE  AS  AN  AID  TO  SELF-DISCOVERY  27 

point  upon  uS;  tear  away  our  delusions,  humiliate  our  pride  and  dis- 
turb our  false  stren'ty  ?  WTi  it  sudden  ligntnmgs  it  shoots  in  to  the 
ab3sseF'.  cf  our  hea'-tal  Wha.*^  searchings  of  conscience  are  like  those 
which  we  make  by  this  light  •'"  And  a  1  this  means  that  in  sober  fact  we 
must  cone  de  to  the  Bible  unrivaled  power  in  brmging  a  man  to  moral 
sel  f-coi  isciousncss . 

Even  the  Old  Testament  is  the  one  great  religious  book  of  antiquity. 
For  the  actual  life  of  the  civihzation  of  this  twentieth  century,  amongst 
all  the  ancient  world's  rehgious  books,  only  the  Bible  is  of  prime  sig- 
nificance. These  Old  Testament  wTiters  have  been,  as  a  matter  of  fact, 
among  all  the  ancient  writers,  the  world's  great  spiritual  and  religious 
seers. 

And  if  this  can  be  said  even  of  the  Old  Testament,  how  much  more 
is  it  true  of  the  New,  with  its  vision  of  the  supreme  personality  of 
Christ.  For  self -disco  very,  this  is  most  significant.  Just  so  siirely  as 
religious  interest  is  deeply  laid  in  the  very  foundations  of  man's  nature, 
just  so  surely  as  reUgion  is  the  supreme  factor  "  in  the  organizing  and 
regxilating  of  our  personal  and  collective  Hfe,"  just  so  surely  as  it  brings 
us  into  the  highest  personal  relation  of  which  we  are  capable,  just  so 
surely  as  reHgion  is  thus  the  deepest  e.xperience  into  which  a  man  may 
enter, —  even  so  surely  must  that  Book,  which  is  the  transcendent 
religious  Book  of  the  world,  stir  our  whole  natures  as  nothing  else  can 
stir  them.  For  the  unity  of  our  natures  makes  it  impossible  that  this 
highest  appeal  should  be  responded  to  -^dthout  profound  influence 
upon  all  the  rest  of  our  Hfe.  As  does  no  other  book,  therefore,  the 
Bible  brings  to  consciousness  the  whole  man. 

As  the  record  of  the  progressive  seeking  of  men  after  God,  and  of 
the  progressive  revelation  of  God  to  men,  moreover,  the  Bible  offers 
peculiar  help  in  the  development  of  our  own  highest  consciousness; 
for  it  enables  us  to  relive,  as  it  were,  in  our  own  personal  experience 
this  whole  religious  life  of  the  world,  to  apply  thus  to  our  o'oti  deepest 
life-problems  a  real  historical  method.  And  hardly  any  procedure 
could  be  more  helpful  in  bringing  us  to  intelligent  consciousness  of  our- 
selves than  this  retracing  of  the  most  important  steps  in  the  working 
out  of  character  and  faith  in  the  world. 

But  the  Bible  is  all  this,  finally,  because  it  is,  above  all  else,  a  hook 
of  honest  testimony  to  experience.  Its  supreme  value  lies  just  here.  For 
the  testimony  of  another  is  our  chief  road  to  enlargement  of  life. 
Most  of  all,  it  is  through  such  simple,  honest  witness  that  the  New 
Testament  puts  us  face  to  face  with  the  redeeming  personaHty  of  Jesus 
Christ.     \Vhatever  our  theories  about  the  Bible,  it  is  not  as  compelUng 


28  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

authority,  but  as  simple,  honest  witness,  that  the  New  Testament 
brings  us  emancipating  power. 

Now,  this  is  the  priceless  and  indispensable  service  of  the  Bible. 
And  it  is  the  more  indispensable  to  the  modern  man,  the  more  deeply 
he  has  entered  into  the  modern  spirit.  For  the  deeper  our  moral  con- 
sciousness, the  greater  our  sense  of  moral  need.  For  the  modern  man 
who  has  awakened  to  full  moral  consciousness,  many  an  ancient  way 
of  approach  to  God  is  decisively  closed;  and  if  he  is  to  come  into  com- 
munion with  God  at  all,  it  must  be  by  a  manifestation  of  God  great 
enough  to  make  certain  both  the  hoHness  and  the  forgiveness  of  God. 
Now,  it  is  just  through  this  witness  of  the  New  Testament  writers, 
that  we  find  in  Christ  for  ourselves  a  fact  so  great,  so  transcendent, 
that  we  come  back  to  it  again  and  again  with  calm  assurance,  to  find 
in  its  simple  presence  the  indubitable  conviction  of  the  spiritual  world, 
of  our  own  intended  destiny,  of  God,  and  of  His  hohness  and  His  love. 
Christ  does  not  merely  tell  us  these  things :  He  does  much  more  —  He 
makes  us  able  to  beheve  them.  He  —  and  no  other  as  He  —  searches 
us,  humbles  us,  assures  us,  and  exahs  us  at  the  same  time.  Only  through 
Him  do  we  come  with  assurance  into  the  great  convictions,  the  great 
hopes,  and  the  great  aspirations;  and  these  measure  us  as  does  nothing 
else.  Only  through  Him  do  we  come  thus  to  real  consciousness  of  our- 
selves, in  our  sin  and  in  our  weakness,  and  yet  in  our  majestic  possi- 
bilities as  children  of  the  living,  loving  God.  Only  through  Him 
are  we  brought  into  living  communion  with  the  living  God. 

To  have  sounded  thus  the  depths  of  the  Bible,  is  to  have  sounded, 
at  the  same  time,  the  depths  of  our  own  nature.  Here  indeed  "  deep 
calleth  unto  deep." 


THE   CHURCH  AS  A  FACTOR  IN  PERSONAL   RELIGIOUS 
DEVELOPMENT 

RT.  REV.  WILLIAM  LAWRENCE,  D.  D.,  S.  T.  D. 

BISHOP   OF   MASSACHUSETTS,   BOSTON,   MASSACHUSETTS 

Given  a  child  in  whom  is  developing  a  personal  religious  life  through 
the  consciousness  of  God  and  the  study  of  the  Bible,  what  place  has 
the  Church  in  filling  out  the  character? 

I  shall  mention  six  points  of  influence. 

1.  The  discovery  that  there  is  a  Church,  a  Congregation  of  the  faith- 
ful, gives  practical  reahty  to  the  child's  religious  faith.  We  may  lead 
a  child  through  prayer  and  experience;  through  a  study  of  the  heroes 
of  the  faith  in  the  Testaments,  Old  and  New,  to  a  consciousness  of  God; 
but  the  kingdom  of  God  is  still  far  away;  something  more  is  needed. 
Then  on  a  Sunday  morning,  perhaps  through  a  martial  hymn,  or  the 
presence  of  a  great  congregation  of  friends  and  neighbors,  or  the  ser- 
vice of  baptism,  there  sweeps  over  the  boy  the  conception  of  the  Church 
as  a  great  company  of  men,  women,  and  children,  loyal  to  the  cause  of 
Christ.  The  cross,  the  symbol  of  sacrifice  ^and  leadership,  stands  be- 
fore him  and  them.  Now  faith  becomes  real,  practical,  and  present; 
the  mystic  consciousness  of  God  melts  into  action;  the  ancient  heroes 
of  the  faith,  Joshua,  David,  and  Peter,  take  on  the  lineaments  of  the 
men  of  the  boy's  own  day  and  country.  His  whole  conception  of  re- 
ligion expands,  character  develops,  and  into  its  texture  is  woven  the 
strong  and  living  fiber  of  social  duty. 

2.  I  said  "the  ancient  heroes  of  the  faith,"  and  "the  men  of  the  boy's 
own  day  and  country."  These  emphasize  only  the  beginnings  of  the 
Church,  and  its  present  day.  But  the  Christian  Church  has  been  a  liv- 
ing thing  throughout  the  nineteen  centuries.  The  historic  Church  looms 
before  the  thought  of  the  maturing  boy;  and  he  gains  a  conception  of 
the  solidarity  of  the  Church,  the  communion  of  the  saints  of  all  the  ages. 

Why  is  it  that  typical  New  Englanders  like  James  Russell  Lowell 
were  almost  overwhelmed  with  the  glory  of  the  great  cathedrals  of  Eu- 
rope ?  Partly,  I  believe,  because  through  their  religious  traditions  and 
ecclesiastical  horizon,  limited  to  the  Bible  and  New  England,  they  had, 
though  unconsciously,  been  yearning  for  the  inspiration  of  the  historic 
Church  of  the  ages;  and  in  Westminster,  Canterbury,  Chartres,  or  St. 
Mark's,  there  flashed  before  them  the  glory  of  the  ages  of  chivalry  and 
romance,  the  traditions  of  the  monk  and  the  cavalier.     In  their  medi- 

29 


30  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

tations  and  worship  there  swept  in  upon  them,  at  all  events  there  has 
swept  in  upon  tens  of  thousands,  a  conception  of  the  organic  life  of  the 
Church,  satisfying  and  uplifting. 

Such  a  revelation  gradually  opens  itself  to  the  boy  maturing  in  the 
faith.  He  knows  the  Bible  heroes,  he  has  known  a  few  saints  about 
him  in  his  home.  Reading  and  thought  open  up  the  vistas  of  the  past. 
He  discovers  that  the  parish  church  wherein  he  worships  has  an  ancient 
lineage,  vital  and  noble.  Some  story  sends  his  thoughts  back  through 
the  days  of  the  Pilgrims  and  the  Reformation  to  the  times  of  the  mon- 
astery, of  chivalry,  and  the  martyrs  thrown  to  the  lions.  He  lives  in 
them;  his  faith  was  their  faith;  his  Christ,  the  Christ  for  whom  they 
died.  There  is  pride  in  his  Church,  buoyancy  in  his  religious  life,  a 
firm  confidence  in  the  strength  of  his  cause.  Through  the  historic 
Church,  art,  literature,  and  poetry  have  been  saturated  with  the  finest 
sentiments  of  sage  and  seer.  As,  therefore,  the  boy  reads,  thinks,  and 
matures,  his  faith  is  shot  through  and  through  with  the  finest  threads 
of  wisdom,  beauty,  and  song.  His  character  gains  proportion,  refine- 
ment, and  grace. 

3.  Thus  far,  however,  the  boy  has  not  really  had  the  confident  as- 
surance that  he  is  as  yet  in  and  of  the  Church.  His  parents  are  in  the 
Church,  the  minister  is,  qlder  people  who  go  to  the  Lord's  Supper 
are;  but  where  is  he?  Is  he  looking  upon  the  Church  from  without, 
or  is  he  really  a  part  of  its  very  life  ? 

Here  I  may  emphasize  a  point  with  which  you  may  not  all  agree.  I 
believe  that  only  by  that  ancient  form  and  sacrament  of  Baptism  in 
earlier  childhood  can  the  child  be  incorporated  into  the  Church  and 
made  to  reahze,  as  he  grows  older,  that  he  is  in  fact  a  child  of  the  Church. 

I  do  not  speak  of  baptism  as  the  dedication  of  a  child  to  Christ  by 
his  parents.  I  speak  of  it  as  a  sacrament  whereby  the  child  is  received 
and  incorporated  into  the  very  organic  life  of  the  Church;  whereby  he 
is  declared  a  child  of  God,  and  by  a  service,  founded  upon  a  concep- 
tion of  the  ideal,  made  an  inheritor  of  the  kingdom  of  Heaven.  Hence- 
forth he  is  not  outside  the  Church.  He  is  not  within  it  by  the  courtesy 
or  sufferance  of  his  elders;  but  he  is  within  it  by  his  own  right,  a  living 
member  of  the  body;  and  upon  him  is  thrown  the  responsibility,  or 
rather  to  him  is  given  the  privilege,  of  living  as  becomes  a  child  of  the 
Church.     Thus  the  constant  appeal  through  boyhood  is  to  his  honor. 

4.  In  the  Church  a  boy  finds  a  definite  statement  of  faith — a  creed. 
I  know  that  a  definite  creed  is  the  last  thing  that  some  people  feel 

should  be  taught  a  child.  He  should,  it  is  said,  be  led  up  to  the  faith 
by  influence,  hero-worship,  imitation,  and  by  happy,  pure  associations. 


THE  CHURCH  IN  PERSONAL  RELIGIOUS  DEVELOPMENT  31 

Of  course  he  should;  nevertheless,  he  should,  I  believe,  be  given,  by  the 
authority  of  his  elders  and  of  the  Church,  a  definite  statement  of  faith. 
Authority  is  an  essential  element  in  child  development.  By  authority, 
as  well  as  by  example,  he  first  learns  of  right,  truth,  and  justice;  later 
he  reasons  out  their  relations  and  adjusts  their  proportions. 

Our  great  mistake  has  come  in  the  next  step  of  development — a  mis- 
take which,  I  believe,  has  been  at  the  bottom  of  much  of  the  distrust  of 
the  creeds  and  of  authoritative  teaching  in  childhood.  The  teacher  or 
parent,  having  given  the  child  some  definite  foundation  to  build  on,  has 
not  trusted  the  boy,  as  he  matures,  to  do  the  building,  but  has  done  the 
building  for  him.  Thus  the  youth  have  been  driven  to  live  and  think 
in  the  dogmatic  houses  of  their  elders,  and  religion  and  faith  have  be- 
come unreal  and  insincere. 

The  form  into  which  each  boy  builds  his  faith  is  as  different  as  is  the 
character  of  each  boy  from  his  comrade.  Who  knows  what  that  ex- 
pression, "I  believe  in  God  the  Father  Almighty,"  means  to  a  child? 
Who  knows  what  it  means  to  the  wisest  theologian?  Neither  can 
express  himself  adequately.  Both  will  mature  in  their  conception  as 
years  pass.  Children  are  deeper  and  wiser  than  we  think.  Give  them 
some  definite  spiritual  facts  to  start  from;  that  is,  give  them  a  real  creed; 
then  guide,  talk,  and  reason  with  them  on  to  maturer  faith.  Do  not 
compel  them,  but  trust  and  lead  them. 

Without  the  Church,  how  long  would  the  teaching  and  preaching  of 
Christian  truth  endure? 

Through  the  Church's  teaching  and  preaching  the  child  is  led  step 
by  step  to  a  fuller  conception  of  the  faith,  a  higher  ideal  of  life  and  a 
larger  sense  of  duty  to  others.  I  believe  that  much  of  our  preaching  to 
children  is  unworthy  of  their  consideration,  and  they  know  it.  Chil- 
dren's intelligence,  discrimination,  and  intuition  are  worthy  of  respect. 
The  language  should  be  simple  and  clear  as  was  Christ's  in  the  fields 
of  Galilee,  but  the  thoughts  must  be  deep.  A  child  does  not  respect  the 
speaker  who  leaves  him  where  he  found  him;  he  wants  to  be  led  up. 
The  habit  and  desire  of  his  school  life  is  promotion  by  some  hard  work. 

The  grouping  of  work  and  grading  of  lessons  in  Sunday  school  is,  of 
course,  necessary  and  wise,  but  I  believe  that  this  modern  popular  clas- 
sification of  ages,  so  common  in  parish  life  and  worship — infants,  chil- 
dren, young  people,  middle-aged  people,  old  people  (soon  we  may  col- 
lect those  in  their  dotage) — has  its  grave  perils.  It  is  bringing  into  the 
Church  the  evils  of  classified  institutionalism,  of  orphan  asylums,  and 
homes  for  old  men.  The  family  is  the  ideal;  the  common  worship  of 
old  and  young;  the  sermon  so  clear  and  simple  that  from  it  the  youth 


32  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

catches  some  suggestions  of  inspiration,  perhaps  by  a  story,  some  fire  of 
enthusiasm;  while  the  older  people  beside  him  are  kindled  with  a  deeper 
love  for  God  and  a  fuller  sense  of  duty  toward  the  youth. 

6.  Great  as  is  the  influence  of  worthy  preaching  to  children,  I  am 
not  sure  that  the  influence  of  worthy  forms  of  worship  is  not  greater, 
for  there  is  a  strong  appeal  to  that  most  potent  of  factors,  the  child's 
imagination. 

We  children  of  the  Reformation,  in  our  reaction  against  the  abuses 
of  teaching  by  the  rites  and  ceremonies  of  the  Church,  do  not  begin  to 
realize  the  worth  and  power  of  these  rites  and  ceremonies  in  kindling 
the  imagination  of  children  and  teaching  them  the  truths  of  the  Gospel. 

What  conception  of  the  beauty  of  holiness,  the  heroes  of  the  faith  and 
the  joy  of  Christian  discipleship  can  a  child  have  who  associates  these 
truths  with  the  dreary  basement  of  the  church,  a  dusty  floor,  ungainly 
benches,  bad  air,  pictures  of  terrifying  men,  upon  the  bare  white  walls, 
called  heroes  of  faith,  and  the  sound  of  a  melodeon  droning  in  quick 
time  weak  tunes,  unworthy  of  children's  voices  and  intelligences?  It 
is  no  wonder  that  as  they  grow  older  they  protest  that  they  will  find  God, 
or  pleasure  at  all  events,  in  the  woods  and  fields  where  are  sunlight  and 
beauty.  The  fact  that  noble  faiths  and  lovely  sainthood  have  been  nur- 
tured in  bare,  ugly  churches  is  a  testimony  to  the  power  of  Christian 
truth. 

Now  that  the  children  of  the  Reformation  have  protested  for  some 
four  or  five  hundred  years  against  the  dangerous  evils  of  some  things 
associated  with  the  historic  Church,  is  it  not  time  to  take  up  some 
of  the  once  discarded  beauties  ?  Children  will  appreciate  them  if  their 
elders  do  not ;  the  restrained  use  of  symbols  and  sacraments,  the  adop- 
tion of  architecture  fitted  to  the  system  of  worship  within  the  Church. 
A  Puritan  service  in  a  Gothic  church  with  a  deep  chancel  is  as  unfitting 
as  an  Anglican  service  in  an  honest,  dignified  meeting-house.  Why  not 
make  the  best  use  of  the  suggestion  of  Christian  truth  in  glass,  orna- 
ment, and  mural  painting;  the  glorious  voice  of  organ,  with  uplifting  an- 
them and  massive  hymn;  the  response  of  minister  and  people;  the  Com- 
mon Prayer,  and  even  the  Litany,  for  child  nature  has  its  minor  as  well 
as  its  major  key?  Thus  through  action,  words,  and  impression,  the 
child's  imagination  is  kindled,  as  through  preaching  and  teaching  the 
reason  is  roused,  and  thought  and  sentiment  combine  to  create  the  fiber 
of  Christian  character 

Thus  through  the  open  door  the  youths  go  forth  to  meet  life,  to  real- 
ize the  brotherhood  of  man,  and  in  social  relations  to  apply  the  spirit- 
ual power  caught  within  the  Church. 


RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION  AS  AN  AID  TO   CONSCIOUS 
RELATION  WITH   GOD 

MR.  L.  WILBUR   MESSER 

GENERAL  SECRETARY   OF  THE  YOXJNG  MEN'S  CHRISTIAN    ASSOCIATION,  CHICAGO, 

ILLINOIS 

Many  religious  leaders  believe  that  the  Church  of  God, the  Holy  Cath- 
olic Church,  has  entered  upon  the  greatest  spiritual  awakening  in  its 
history;  a  revival  more  widespread  and  permanent  than  the  reforma- 
tion of  Luther,  the  awakening  of  Finney,  or  the  evangeHsm  of  Moody; 
a  revival  decreasingly  characterized  by  the  periodical  revival  meetings, 
the  emphasis  on  sudden  emotional  experience,  dogmatic  and  fragmen- 
tary Bible  instruction,  on  well-intended  but  unorganized  and  unspecial- 
ized  missionary  endeavor. 

The  great  religious  awakening  which  is  marking  the  first  decade  of 
the  twentieth  century,  the  new  evangelism,  will  place  not  less  but  more 
emphasis  on  the  fundamental  religious  truths  of  Jesus  and  His  apostles 
now  held  in  common  by  all  true  believers. 

ReHgious  education  has  shown  that  there  is  a  common  consciousness 
of  the  continual  presence  of  a  supreme  being,  or  God.  "  In  the  begin- 
ning God  — ."  These  are  the  primal  words  of  the  oldest  book  in  use. 
The  immanence  of  God  is  experienced  in  every  human  soul.  The  uni- 
versal fear  of  or  devotion  to  an  overruling  spirit,  or  aggregation  of 
spirits,  is  significant.  The  idolatry,  sacrifices,  penances,  and  devotions 
of  peoples  of  all  races  and  ages  testify  most  strongly  to  their  inherent 
consciousness  that,  over  and  working  upon  the  human  life,  are  control- 
ling influences  that  have  their  center  outside  of  one's  self.  In  the  sober 
moments  of  life  every  man  instinctively  appeals  to  or  leans  upon  the 
larger  and  stronger  spirit  whom  he,  perhaps  vaguely,  regards  as  the 
original  and  final  authority  over  the  affairs  of  men. 

Most  men  are  conscious  of  a  competition  going  on  for  the  mastery 
of  Ufe  or  the  struggle  between  the  higher  and  lower  tendencies.  Many 
consider  this  high  nature,  or  set  of  tendencies,  as  the  voice  and  presence 
of  God. 

Religious  education  has  shown  that  there  is  a  consciousness  of  fall- 
ing short  of  the  expectation  of  God  or  of  direct  violation  of  His  will. 
This  is  consciousness  of  sin.  A  most  patent  experience  in  the  life  of 
every  man  is  his  feehng  of  insufficiency  or  shortcoming.  The  great  un- 
rest of  the  human  race  finds  its  origin  in  the  inbred  feeling  that  it  has 

33 


34  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

not  attained  or  has  blundered.  The  sense  of  forgiveness  and  of  appro- 
bation, when  one  turns  from  the  lower  to  the  higher  tendencies  within 
him,  is  a  real  and  personal  experience,  but  no  more  so  than  the  depress- 
ing sense  of  guilt  and  overhanging  penalty  when  one  yields  to  the  lower 
tendencies  at  the  sacrifice  of  the  higher. 

The  commonly  recognized  distance  between  our  real  selves  and  our 
ideals  and  the  general  sense  of  lack  of  complete  harmony  with  the 
"  best,"  marks  the  failure  that  constitutes  sin.  The  self-willed  life  that 
breaks  from  a  conscious  harmony  with  the  supreme  will  finds  itself  ill 
at  ease  and  in  hazard,  and  usually  recognizes,  even  if  it  will  not  admit,, 
that  the  trouble  lies  essentially  in  this  lack  of  harmony. 

Religious  education  emphasizes  the  fact  that  there  is  a  realization 
that  God  is  concerned  about  us.  The  fact  that  we  are  His  handiwork 
that  He  has  created  us,  is  a  fundamental  indication  of  His  concern  for 
us.  It  is  impossible  for  us  to  conceive  of  God  as  having  no  interest  in 
the  highest  type  of  His  creation;  nor  can  we  believe  that  the  divine  law 
of  economy  would  permit  the  persistence  of  forms  with  which  He  is  not 
concerned. 

An  evidence  of  God's  concern  is  found  in  our  instinct  of  kinship  with 
Him,  constantly  urging  us  to  seek  a  closer  relation  with  Him.  The  hu- 
man heart  craves  for  a  deeper  and  more  sustaining  love  than  any  earthly 
relationship  can  supply,  and  this  craving  is  fairly  interpreted  as  the  at- 
tractive power  of  His  love  for  us.  Dr.  Frank  Crane  says:  "  God  has 
been,  in  every  age  and  race,  brooding  over  His  human  children,  slowly 
lifting  them  by  the  influence  of  His  personality  into  a  higher  life."  God 
must  certainly  care  for  those  whom  He  thus  develops  into  His  own  image. 

Religious  education  makes  clear  the  fundamental  truth  that  the  cor- 
rect view  of  life  depends  upon  a  recognition  of  Christ  as  the  most  potent 
and  concrete  manifestation  of  God.  We  have  the  record  of  God's  di- 
rect recognition  of  Christ  at  the  time  of  His  baptism:  "  This  is  My  be- 
loved Son,  in  whom  I  am  well  pleased,"  and  at  the  time  of  His  trans- 
figuration, "This  is  My  beloved  Son, in  whom  I  am  well  pleased;  hear 
ye  Him."  Christ  Himself  said :  "  Believe  me  that  I  am  in  the  Father, 
and  the  Father  in  Me";  "He  that  seeth  Me  seeth  the  Father";  "  I  am 
the  Way,  the  Truth,  and  the  Life :  no  man  cometh  unto  the  Father  but 
by  Me." 

Testimony  written  later  by  a  contemporary  of  Christ  affirms  that  "  In 
the  beginning  was  the  Word,  and  the  Word  was  with  God,  and  the 
Word  was  God.  The  same  was  in  the  beginning  with  God."  "  In  Him 
was  Hfe;  and  the  life  was  the  light  of  men."  "  And  the  Word  was  made 
flesh  and  dwelt  among  us." 


AN  AID  TO  CONSCIOUS  RELATION  WITH  GOD  35 

True  religious  education  makes  emphatic  the  great  truth  that  recon- 
ciliation with  God  and  a  fully  successful  life  depend  upon  individual 
adoption  of  the  principles  of  Jesus  Christ  as  determining  one's  attitude, 
development,  and  service.  The  principles  of  Jesus  Christ  find  their  per- 
fect exempUfication  in  His  own  personality.  To  become  a  Christian  is 
to  become  a  student  of  Christ's  life,  to  pledge  allegiance  to  Him  and  to 
incorporate  in  the  hfe  the  principles  of  His  kingdom. 

The  principles  of  Christ  are  concisely  stated  in  what  He  called  the 
two  great  commandments:  "Hear,  O  Israel,  the  Lord  our  God  is  one 
Lord,  and  thou  shalt  love  the  Lord  thy  God  with  all  thy  heart,  and  with 
all  thy  soul,  and  with  all  thy  mind,  and  with  all  thy  strength.  This  is 
the  first  commandment ;  and  the  second  is  like,  namely,  this :  thou  shalt 
love  thy  neighbor  as  thyself.  There  is  none  other  commandment  greater 
than  these." 

In  the  fulfillment  of  the  fundamental  principle  of  love  to  God  and 
love  to  men,  we  find  Christ's  development  into  a  symmetrical  perfec- 
tion. "Jesus  increased  in  wisdom,  in  stature,  and  in  favor  with  God 
and  man." 

One's  adoption  of  these  principles  makes  for  the  salvation  of  the 
whole  man,  body,  mind,  and  spirit,  harmonized  with  the  will  of  God 
and  prepared  for  service  to  one's  fellows.  The  face  of  the  Christian 
behever  is  toward  the  goal  "  Of  the  measure  of  the  stature  of  Christ." 
"  Citizenship  in  the  Kingdom  of  God  is  not  a  set  of  negations;  it  does 
not  consists  of  long  fasts,  nor  the  absence  of  innocent  pleasures;  it  is 
not  to  worship  a  set  of  opinions.  It  is  a  well-rounded  character;  it  is 
health  of  the  whole  man;  it  is  living  in  true  fellowship  with  the  spirit 
of  the  manliest  man  that  ever  lived."  One  of  the  most  mischievous  fal- 
lacies disproven  by  Christ  is  the  attempt  to  separate  the  physical  and 
mental  sides  of  our  being  from  the  immortal  soul,  for  one  cannot  fully 
love  God  or  men  with  only  part  of  his  nature. 

Christ's  exemplification  of  His  second  great  principle,  "Thou  shalt 
love  thy  neighbor  as  thyself,"  is  found  in  the  fulfillment  of  His  mission 
as  he  described  it,  "  For  even  the  Son  of  man  came  not  to  be  minis- 
tered unto,  but  to  minister  and  to  give  His  life  a  ransom  for  many." 
Our  adoption  of  this  principle  makes  service  to  our  fellows  a  dominant 
characteristic  of  life.  Conspicuous  among  the  forms  of  Christ-inspired 
service  are  mighty  educational,  philanthropic,  and  social  betterment 
movements,  making  for  the  broader  estabhshment  of  "  the  kingdom  of 
God  on  earth." 

The  adoption  of  Christ's  principles,  by  yielding  to  the  Holy  Spirit, 
the  pervading  presence  of  God,  makes  us  at  one  with  Christ,  and  hence. 


36  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

through  His  at-one-ment  (atonement)  gives  us  reconcihation  with  God, 
for  He  and  the  Father  are  one. 

These  fundamental  rehgious  truths  are  finding  a  large  acceptance 
among  men  of  various  types,  through  the  introduction  and  develop- 
ment of  the  sociological  method  in  reUgious  education  and  of  adjust- 
ments in  harmony  with  certain  conclusions  of  religious  psychology. 

The  recognition  of  the  rehgious  value  of  ethical,  physical,  educational, 
and  social  agencies  has  made  possible  the  development  of  a  symmetri- 
cal Christian  life.  The  appreciation  of  the  forces  of  environment,  he- 
redity and  development,  has  made  Christian  teachers  and  workers  less 
dogmatic,  more  patient,  sympathetic  and  tactful.  The  scientific  study 
of  rehgious  phenomena,  the  accommodation  to  temperamental  varie- 
ties, the  apphcation  of  the  divine  law  of  development,  the  effort  to  meet 
adolescent  conditions  and  difl&culties,  has  resulted  in  an  increase  of 
adaptability  which  has  overcome  the  prejudices  of  large  classes  of  men 
who  have  failed  to  understand  the  fundamental  truths  and  value  of  the 
Christian  religion. 

For  nearly  twenty-five  years  it  has  been  my  privilege  to  be  closely 
associated  with  young  men  of  widely  different  types  and  conditions, 
with  exceptional  opportunities  for  ascertaining  their  rehgious  convic- 
tions and  needs.  I  have  found  that  the  men  of  varied  nationaUties  and 
occupations  are  largely  and  increasingly  responsive  to  these  principles 
of  Jesus.  The  benefit  of  the  apphcation  of  these  truths  is  manifest  in 
the  great  constructive  power  of  the  Christian  home,  the  Christian  school, 
and  the  Christian  church.  It  is  also  seen  in  the  increasing  respect  for, 
and  use  of,  the  Bible  as  a  divine  revelation  of  the  nature  and  will  of  God, 
and  the  proper  relations  of  man  both  to  his  Creator  and  to  his  fellows. 

The  new  evangehsm,  the  revival  of  the  twentieth  century,  will  lead 
men  to  accept  the  Christian  hfe  by  yielding  to  the  Holy  Spirit,  through 
faith  in  Christ  and  by  the  adoption  of  His  principles.  This  evangel- 
ism will  lead  men  to  build  the  Christian  hfe  by  the  constant  and  intel- 
hgent  appropriation  of  divine  forces  which  make  for  righteousness. 
This  evangehsm  will  lead  the  disciples  of  Jesus  to  the  larger  ministry 
of  service. 

The  Rehgious  Education  Association,  through  one  comprehensive 
organization  of  leaders  and  workers  of  all  organizations  which  seek  the 
extension  of  the  kingdom  of  God,  has  become  a  great  force  in  the  pro- 
motion of  a  type  of  rehgious  education  which  includes  all  that  is  vital 
in  the  evangelism  of  the  past  with  added  emphasis  on  truths  and  meth- 
ods which  will  make  religion  a  more  pervasive  power  for  personal  and 
social  goodness. 


HOW     CAN     WE     DEVELOP     IN     THE     INDIVIDUAL     A 
SOCIAL    CONSCIENCE? 

LITERATURE  AS  THE  EXPRESSION  OF  SOCIAL  FORCES 
PROFESSOR  ARTHUR  S.  HOYT,  D.D. 

AUBURN  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY,  AUBURN,  NEW  YORK 

Literature  is  the  best  interpretation  of  a  people's  life.  The  writ- 
ers are  the  men  who  know  their  age  best.  They  have  not  come  from 
a  favored  class,  but  from  the  people.  They  are  ideahsts,  and  see 
more  truly  than  those  who  look  on  the  form  and  fashion  of  life.  They 
are  universal  in  their  sympathies,  and  touch  truths  that  make  men  feel 
their  oneness  in  nature,  and  need,  and  destiny.  They  feel  with  "  men 
the  workers,  men  my  brothers." 

Social  forces  slowly  gather.  The  truth  is  first  whispered  in  the  closet. 
New  ideals  are  cherished  in  the  heart,  they  pass  from  lip  to  lip,  long 
before  they  crystallize  into  laws  and  institutions  of  society.  The 
men  of  imagination  and  feeling  understand  these  deep  and  silent  cur- 
rents of  life.  They  interpret  the  age  to  itself.  They  give  body  to  the 
unnoticed  and  even  intangible  motions  of  common  life. 

Our  American  literature  has  been  the  mirror  of  our  life.  The 
greater  freedom  of  thought  here,  a  more  widespread  education,  and 
so  the  greater  influence  of  books,  the  closer  identification  of  our  liter- 
ary men  with  popular  interests,  all  unite  to  make  our  literature  thor- 
oughly expressive  of  American  life. 

What  have  been  the  distinctive  social  forces  of  American  life  ?  Love 
of  home  and  family,  belief  in  the  dignity  of  labor,  sympathy  for  the 
weak  and  oppressed,  and  faith  in  the  Democratic  ideal.  These  truths 
may  be  called  the  very  substance  of  our  literature.  The  sacredness  of 
the  family  has  been  the  mark  of  our  life  from  the  beginning,  and  that 
sacredness  has  never  been  seriously  questioned  by  our  writers.  They 
have  been  tenacious  of  our  domestic  ideals.  Put  Gibbon  beside  Mot- 
ley, or  Parkman,  or  Fiske,  and  we  feel  the  purity  of  American  thought, 
compared  even  with  that  of  the  mother  country.  Few  of  our  writers 
deal  with  morbid  sexuality.  Not  one  has  thought  to  consider  marriage 
an  open  question,  in  the  spirit  of  the  "  Woman  Who  Did,"  or  "  The 
South  African  Farm."  Contrast  the  delicacy  of  Hawthorne's  treat- 
ment of  sin,  with  the  bald  realism  of  a  great  artist  Hke  Tolstoy;  or  the 
hot,  passionate  scenes  of  temptation  in   "  Lady  Rose's   Daughter," 

37 


38  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

with  the  cleansing  humor  over  the  weakness  of  American  society  in 
"  The  People  of  the  Whirlpool."  What  a  glory  rests  upon  home, 
its  simple  joys  and  common  duties,  in  the  pages  of  poet  and  novelist 
alike ! 

We  find  the  spirit  of  brotherhood  in  our  literature  as  it  has  been  in 
our  life.  It  is  no  lordly  pleasure-house  for  the  few,  while  the  multi- 
tudes that  toil  and  suffer  roam  the  distant  plains  like  droves  of  swine. 
And  our  elder  poets  are  the  voices  of  freedom,  calling  for  the  breaking 
of  whatever  fetter  lies  upon  body  or  soul.  The  constant  theme  is  the 
worth  of  the  common  man,  stripped  of  all  the  accidents  of  life.  From 
the  spirit  of  humanity  and  brotherhood  have  come  the  sense  of  social 
and  political  unity,  the  growth  of  national  consciousness,  and  the 
conviction  of  purpose  and  mission  in  the  national  life. 

The  dominant  element  of  our  national  life  has  been  religious.  Chris- 
tian faith  has  given  to  home  its  simplicity  and  purity,  to  labor  its  honor, 
to  the  humblest  man  his  worth,  and  to  the  national  life  its  divine  sig- 
nificance. And  these  social  forces  have  been  properly  interpreted 
and  put  in  shining  form,  because  our  writers  have  been  men  of  faith. 
A  genuinely  religious  spirit  pervades  our  literature.  Our  literary 
men  may  depart  from  the  stern  and  austere  worship  of  the  fathers, 
but  they  have  never  lost  "  the  tender  and  gracious  fear  which  made 
the  glory  of  Puritan  faith,  and  gave  visible  force  to  Puritan  character." 
They  may  declare  their  independence  of  human  creeds,  but  never  their 
independence  of  God.     We  have  no  city  of  "  Dreadful  Night,"  where 

"  All  the  oracles  are  dumb  or  cheat, 
Because  they  have  no  secret  to  express." 

Behind  the  darkest  shadow  standeth  God,  "  keeping  watch  above 
His  own." 

It  is  a  cause  for  profound  gratitude  that  the  men  and  women  who 
often  search  an  age  to  the  depth  of  its  consciousness  are  so  often  con- 
scious of  the  presence  of  God,  and  see  His  kingdom  growing  through 
the  lives  and  institutions  of  men 

We  have  not  measured  the  power  of  literature  in  training  the  social 
conscience  when  we  have  thought  of  it  simply  as  the  expression  of  life. 
It  is  prophetic  as  well  as  expressive. 

Who  has  put  the  social  passion  into  so  many  young  English  hearts 
to-day  ?  Why  are  men  working  for  the  poor,  identifying  themselves  with 
the  toilers,  living  in  the  midst  of  sodden  and  hopeless  masses,  giving  life 
to  save  the  heart  of  the  empire  ?  It  is  because  Christ's  ideal  of  brother- 
hood and  service  has  been  made  beautiful  and  glorious  in  verse  and 


LITERATURE  AS  EXPRESSING  SOCIAL  FORCES  39 

story.  John  Ruskin  made  art  speak  the  message  of  social  service,  and 
Arthur  Toynbee  made  culture  minister  to  the  lowly.  It  is  wonderfully 
significant  that  on  each  birthday  of  Robert  Browning  a  company  of 
boys  and  girls  from  the  most  crowded  and  wretched  part  of  South 
London  lay  their  tribute  of  flowers  on  his  grave  in  Westminster  Abbey. 

American  literature  has  been  no  less  faithful  in  giving  the  social 
message  of  democracy.  The  social  conscience  was  educated  until 
property  in  human  lives  seemed  a  sin  against  God.  That  conscience 
was  trained  by  the  fearless  and  prophetic  teachers  of  our  literature,  by 
Whittier's  voices  of  freedom,  and  Mrs.  Stowe's  Uncle  Tom's  Cabin, 
and  the  Biglow  Papers  of  Lowell. 

I  have  discussed  the  subject  in  the  light  of  history  rather  than  in 
that  of  present  social  forces  and  their  expression  in  the  literature  of 
the  day.  Judgments  may  thus  be  saner  and  lessons  more  unmistak- 
able. Yet  the  truth  has  a  present  interest  that  is  urgent  and  must  be 
heard. 

We  must  feel  the  transitional  and  critical  condition  of  our  age. 
Immeasurable  social  forces  have  been  loosed  among  us.  Yet,  through 
the  confusion  of  these  contending  forces,  we  must  believe,  as  Christian 
men,  holding  to  the  fact  of  the  present  kingdom  of  God,  and  His  living 
Spirit,  that  a  new  age  is  coming,  of  purer  faith  and  truer  social  right- 
eousness. And  we  may  see  something  of  its  gleaming  ideals  before 
us. 

How  shall  these  social  forces,  working  in  the  lives  of  so  many,  be 
interpreted  and  expressed  so  that  the  mind  and  conscience  of  the  Church 
shall  be  devoted  to  these  high  ends?  Where  shall  we  look  for  our  in- 
spired prophets  and  leaders?  Shall  not  our  literary  men,  as  in  the 
past,  share  in  this  sacred  ministry? 

Thank  God,  some  men  are  speaking.  Here  and  there  a  novelist 
has  the  social  passion.  There  are  sweet  voices  for  a  simple  life.  Here 
and  there  a  poet  has  the  nobler  vision,  an  essayist  puts  in  living  words 
the  truth  of  society. 

We  have  a  multitude  of  writers;  we  have  infinite  skill,  and  taste, 
and  form.  But  the  coal  from  the  altar  is  often  wanting.  Only  that 
deep  sense  of  the  sacredness  of  life,  of  God  in  His  world,  the  breath 
of    the  Divine  spirit,  can  make  our  literature  cleansing  and  life-giving. 

The  writer  is  brother  of  the  teacher  and  the  preacher  in  sustaining 
the  higher  forces  of  society.  The  novelist  may  be  the  best  teacher. 
He  certainly  is  reaching  the  greatest  number.  The  poet  may  be  the 
best  preacher.  He  certainly  sounds  deepest  into  the  hearts  of  tlie 
chosen  ones.     Together  we  must  work  for  the  kingdom  of  God. 


SCIENCE  AS  A  TEACHER  OF  MORALITY 
PROFESSOR  JOHN  M.  COULTER,  Ph.D. 

UNIVERSITY  OF  CHICAGO,  CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS 

The  subject  does  not  imply  that  science  is  professedly  a  teacher 
of  morality,  but  that  incidentally  it  makes  for  righteousness.  It  would 
be  comparatively  simple  to  select  from  its  contributions  to  knowledge 
many  that  have  strongly  enforced  the  necessity  of  moraHty;  or  to  point 
out  that  its  conception  of  the  inevitable  consequences  of  acts  has  shown 
that  results  are  a  matter  of  course  rather  than  of  chance.  To  my 
mind,  however,  valuable  as  these  contributions  may  be,  they  are  but 
superficial  indications  of  an  attitude,  of  mind  which  represents  the  chief 
contribution  of  science  to  morality.  To  give  a  clear  conception  of  the 
relation  of  this  attitude  of  mind  to  moraHty  is  difficult,  for  it  is  some- 
what intangible,  and  to  a  certain  extent  prophetic;  but  to  me  it  seems 
to  be  the  most  important  phase  of  the  subject. 

It  should  be  understood  further  that  the  subject  does  not  imply  that 
science  can  replace  religion  as  a  teacher  of  morality;  but  that  in  so  far 
as  it  contributes  anything  to  morality  it  reinforces  religion.  "Science" 
is  a  term  of  convenience  rather  than  of  exactness,  and  hence  I  must 
state  at  once  that  in  this  paper  it  means  what  is  called  "the  scientific 
spirit,"  which  is  a  certain  attitude  of  mind.  Before  attempting  to  state 
its  relations  to  morality,  I  wish  to  indicate  what  it  is  by  noting  some  of 
its  characteristics. 

I.  It  is  a  spirit  of  inquiry.  In  our  experience  we  encounter  a  vast 
body  of  estabhshed  belief  in  reference  to  all  important  subjects. 
Nothing  seems  more  evident  than  that  this  body  of  belief  belongs  to 
two  categories:  (i)  The  priceless  results  of  generations  of  experience; 
and  (2)  heirloom  rubbish.  Towards  this  whole  body  of  established  be- 
lief the  scientific  attitude  is  one  of  unprejudiced  inquiry.  It  is  not  the 
spirit  of  iconoclasm,  as  some  would  believe,  but  an  examination  of  the 
foundations  of  belief.  It  must  be  evident  that  this  spirit  is  directly  op- 
posed to  intolerance,  and  that  it  can  find  no  common  ground  with  those 
who  confidently,  and  perhaps  somewhat  violently,  affirm  that  the 
present  organization  of  society  is  as  good  as  it  can  be;  or  that  the  past 
has  discovered  all  that  is  best  in  education;  or  that  the  mission  of  re- 
ligion is  to  conserve  the  past  rather  than  to  grow  into  the  future. 
This  is  not  the  spirit  of  unrest,  of  discomfort,  but  the  evidence  of  a 
mind  whose  every  avenue   is    open  to  the  approach   of  truth  from 

40 


SCIENCE  AS  A  TEACHER  OF  MORALITY  41 

every  direction.  I  hasten  to  say  that  this  beneficent  result  of  scientific 
training  does  not  come  to  all  those  who  cultivate  it,  any  more  than  is 
the  Christlike  character  developed  in  all  those  who  profess  Christianity. 
I  regret  to  say  that  even  some  who  bear  great  names  in  science  have 
been  as  dogmatic  as  the  most  rampant  theologian.  But  the  dogmatic 
scientist  and  theologian  are  not  to  be  taken  as  examples  of  the  "peace- 
able fruits  of  righteousness,"  for  the  general  ameliorating  influence  of 
rehgion  and  of  science  is  none  the  less  apparent.  It  is  not  the  speech  of 
the  conspicuous  few  that  is  leavening  the  lump  of  human  thought,  but 
the  quiet  work  of  thousands  of  teachers.  Scorn  and  ridicule  of  things 
that  others  hold  in  respect  is  not  the  attitude  of  science.  Its  function 
is  to  search  for  truth  and  to  present  it  supported  by  such  a  convincing 
body  of  evidence  that  error  will  disappear  without  being  attacked.  It 
is  the  expulsive  power  of  new  knowledge  that  the  teacher  of  science 
must  rely  upon  to  unsettle  ignorant  opinion. 

2.  //  demands  that  there  shall  be  no  hiatus  between  an  effect  and  its 
claimed  cause,  and  that  the  cause  clahned  shall  be  adequate.  It  is  in  the 
laboratory  that  one  first  really  appreciates  how  many  factors  must  be 
taken  into  the  count  in  considering  any  result,  and  what  an  element 
of  uncertainty  an  unknown  factor  introduces.  In  the  very  simplest  cases, 
where  we  have  approximated  certainty  in  the  manipulation  of  factors 
to  produce  results,  there  is  still  lurking  an  element  of  chance,  which 
simply  means  an  unknown,  and  hence  uncontrolled,  factor.  Even  when 
the  factors  are  well  in  hand,  and  we  can  combine  them  with  reason- 
able certainty  that  the  result  will  appear,  we  may  be  entirely  wrong 
in  our  conclusion  as  to  what  in  the  combination  has  produced  the 
result.  For  example,  we  have  been  changing  the  forms  of  certain 
plants  at  will,  by  exposing  them  to  varying  combinations  of  certain 
substances.  It  was  perhaps  natural  to  conclude  that  the  chemical 
structure  of  these  substances  is  responsible  for  the  result,  and  our  pre- 
scription was  narrowed  to  certain  substances.  Now,  however,  it  is 
discovered  that  the  results  are  not  due  to  the  chemical  nature  of  the 
substances,  but  to  a  particular  physical  condition  that  is  developed  by 
their  combination,  a  condition  that  may  be  developed  by  the  combi- 
nation of  other  substances  as  well,  or  even  by  things  that  are  not 
substances;  so  that  our  prescription  is  much  enlarged. 

There  is  a  broad  application  here.  For  example,  in  education  we 
are  in  danger  of  slavery  to  subjects.  Having  observed  that  certain 
ones  may  be  used  to  produce  certain  results,  we  prescribe  them  as 
essential  to  the  process,  without  taking  into  account  the  possibihty  that 
other   subjects   may  produce  similar  results.      In  religion  we  are  in 


42  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

danger  of  formulating  some  specific  line  of  conduct  as  essential  to  the 
result,  and  of  condemning  those  who  do  not  adhere  to  it.  That  there 
may  be  many  lines  of  approach  to  a  given  result,  if  that  result  be  a 
general  condition,  is  a  hard  lesson  for  mankind  to  learn. 

If  it  is  so  difficult  to  get  at  the  real  factors  of  a  simple  result  in  the 
laboratory,  and  still  more  difficult  to  interpret  the  significance  of  factors 
when  found,  in  what  condition  must  we  be  in  reference  to  the  im- 
mensely more  difficult  and  subtle  problems  which  confront  us  in  social 
organization,  government,  education,  and  religion ! 

The  habit  of  considering  only  one  factor,  when  perhaps  scores  are 
involved,  indicates  a  very  primitive  and  untrained  condition  of  mind. 
It  is  fortunate  when  the  leaders  of  opinion  have  gotten  hold  of  one  real 
factor.  They  may  overdo  it,  and  work  damage  by  insisting  upon 
some  special  form  of  action  on  account  of  it,  but  so  far  as  it  goes  it 
is  the  truth.  It  is  more  apt  to  be  the  case,  however,  that  the  factor 
claimed  holds  no  relation  whatsoever  to  the  result,  and  then  the 
noxious  weeds  of  demagogism  and  charlatanism  flourish.  It  is  to  such 
blindness  that  scientific  training  is  slowly  bringing  a  little  glimmer  of 
light,  and  when  the  world  one  day  opens  its  eyes,  and  it  will  be  well 
for  it  to  open  them  very  gradually,  the  old  things  will  have  passed 
away. 

3.  //  keeps  one  close  to  the  facts.  There  seems  to  be  abroad  a  notion 
that  one  may  start  with  a  single  well-attested  fact,  and  by  some  logical 
machinery  construct  an  elaborate  system  and  reach  an  authentic  con- 
clusion; much  as  the  world  has  imagined  that  Cuvier  could  do  if  a 
single  bone  were  furnished  him.  The  result  is  bad,  even  though  the 
fact  may  have  an  unclouded  title.  But  it  too  often  happens  that 
great  superstructures  have  been  reared  upon  a  fact  that  is  claimed 
rather  than  demonstrated.  Facts  are  like  stepping-stones;  so  long  as 
one  can  get  a  reasonably  close  series  of  them  he  can  make  some 
progress  in  a  given  direction,  but  when  he  steps  beyond  them  he 
flounders.  As  one  travels  away  from  a  fact,  its  significance  in  any  con- 
clusion becomes'more  and  more  attenuated,  until  presently  the  vanish- 
ing point  is  reached,  like  the  rays  of  light  from  a  candle.  A  fact  is 
really  only  influential  in  its  own  immediate  vicinity;  but  the  whole 
structure  of  many  a  system  lies  in  the  region  beyond  the  vanishing 
point.  Such  "vain  imaginings"  are  delightfully  seductive  to  many 
people,  whose  life  and  conduct  are  even  shaped  by  them.  I  have  been 
amazed  at  the  large  development  of  this  phase  of  emotional  insanity, 
commonly  masquerading  under  the  name  of  "subtle  thinking." 

Science  teaches  that  it  is  dangerous  to  stray  away  very  far  from 


SCIENCE  AS  A  TEACHER  OF  MOLALITY  43 

the  facts;  and  that  the  farther  one  strays  away,  the  more  dangerous  it 
becomes,  and  almost  inevitably  leads  to  self-deception. 

The  attitude  of  mind  which  training  in  science  tends  to  cultivate  has 
been  illustrated  sufficiently  for  our  purpose.  The  moral  aspects  of  it 
seem  to  me  to  be  quite  evident  even  in  this  partial  analysis.  It  is  open 
to  the  truth;  it  seeks  for  trustworthy  evidence  in  reference  to  it;  if 
necessary,  it  strives  to  strip  off  the  husks  of  human  opinion  that  it  may 
get  at  the  kernel;  and  when  found  it  accepts  it  with  ardor. 

It  may  be  well,  however,  to  carry  the  subject  forward  to  a  more 
definite  stage.  Without  pretending  any  knowledge  of  the  philosophy  of 
morality,  and  still  more  ignorant  of  its  terminology,  I  wish  to  indicate 
the  attitude  of  the  scientific  mind  towards  those  questions  that  affect 
personal  and  social  conduct.  The  problem  is  to  develop  an  effective 
man  and  an  effective  social  order.  From  the  standpoint  of  science, 
the  various  moral  codes  that  have  been  formulated  do  not  have  any 
suggestion  of  commands.  They  are  attempted  statements  of  truth, 
which,  therefore,  must  be  tested.  To  take  an  extreme  illustration,  the 
set  of  moral  principles  contained  in  the  Ten  Commandments  or  in  the 
Sermon  on  the  Mount  are  not  authoritative  because  they  are  com- 
manded, but  because  they  are  true.  Science  would  never  raise  the 
question  whether  the  Ten  Commandments  or  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount 
are  "binding"  upon  this  nation  or  upon  that,  or  upon  this  generation  or 
upon  some  other;  but  simply  whether  they  contain  principles  essential 
to  a  well-ordered  individual  or  society;  if  so,  they  are  true  and  always 
apply  everywhere,  just  as  does  what  we  call  the  "law  of  gravitation." 
Newton  has  the  reputation  of  having  announced  the  law  of  gravita- 
tion, which  science  prefers  to  call  a  mode  of  operation  rather  than  a 
"law";  but  I  presume  that  no  one  would  say  that  this  law  is  binding 
upon  us  because  Newton  announced  it.  The  world,  like  the  individual, 
grows  in  knowledge;  and  the  childhood  of  the  race  received  as  com- 
mands what  maturity  recognizes  as  statements  of  eternal  truth,  infi- 
nitely more  binding  than  any  commands  could  be.  There  is  no  resent- 
ing truth  or  no  quibbling  about  it;  and  obedience  is  imperative.  Moral 
truth,  therefore,  has  the  eternal  and  binding  qualities  of  the  truths  of 
nature,  which  we  call  laws.  I  count  this  scientific  attitude  towards 
morality  to  be  a  distinct  contribution  towards  its  enforcement.  I 
recognize  freely  that  when  this  compelling  power  of  knowledge  is  rein- 
forced by  the  attraction  of  a  noble  emotion  there  is  a  tremendous  gain, 
but  such  a  reinforcement  is  the  peculiar  function  of  the  Christian  re- 
ligion. 

As  a  further  illustration,  showing  how  science  reinforces  religion  as 


44  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

a  teacher  of  morality,  it  may  not  be  out  of  place  to  outline  a  scientific 
approach  to  the  fundamentals  of  morality  and  even  of  Christianity,  an 
approach  that  has  proved  satisfactory  to  many  students  trained  in  science. 

If  a  plant  is  to  develop  to  the  fullest  possible  vigor,  it  must  estab- 
lish effective  relationships  with  its  surroundings,  otherwise  it  will  be  a 
failure.  A  green  leaf,  to  be  strong  and  useful,  must  establish  relations 
with  the  air  and  the  sunshine.  If  a  root  seeks  to  estabHsh  the  same 
relations,  it  will  be  a  failure,  but  relations  with  the  soil  will  make  it 
strong  and  useful.  This  very  well-known  biological  law  furnishes  a 
clue  to  the  problem  of  a  strong  and  effective  human  life.  It  must 
establish  effective  relationships  with  its  necessary  environment. 

The  first  step  is  to  discover  what  are  the  dominating  factors  in  the 
environment  of  a  human  life.  At  least  two  conspicuous  factors  are  one's 
self  and  one's  fellow-men.  The  problem,  then,  is  to  discover  the  most 
effective  adjustment  to  these  factors,  an  adjustment  that  means  growth 
and  the  highest  expression  of  the  human  powers;  in  other  words,  mak- 
ing the  most  of  one's  self. 

The  next  step  is  to  discover  illustrations  of  the  most  effective  lives, 
and  at  this  point  the  perspective  of  the  investigator  comes  into  play. 
Compelled  to  consider  the  things  that  really  make  life  worth  the  living, 
the  things  that  are  to  give  a  quiet  mind  in  the  retrospect,  it  is  rare 
that  the  most  desirable  lives  are  not  chosen.  Pressing  the  search  for 
the  completed  exempHfication  of  the  most  effective  life,  the  lines  all 
focus  in  the  person  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  this  quite  apart  from  any 
peculiar  claim  made  for  him  by  Christians.  I  have  found  absolute 
unanimity  in  the  judgment  that  no  life,  in  all  that  makes  for  strength 
and  effectiveness,  has  approached  that  of  Jesus  Christ.  It  seems  to  be 
a  human  life  at  the  limit  of  its  capacity. 

The  next  step  in  the  investigation  is  to  discover  the  solution  offered 
by  such  a  life  to  the  problem  of  effective  adjustment  of  one's  self 
and  to  one's  fellow-men.  No  questions  of  authenticity  enter  into  such 
an  investigation;  for  even  if  such  a  person  never  existed,  the  character  is 
clearly  drawn,  and  it  stands  as  a  definite  conception  of  the  finest  pos- 
sible man. 

The  investigator  recognizes  that  he  himself  is  a  bundle  of  contra- 
dictory impulses,  all  of  which  cannot  dominate,  and  some  of  which 
must.  The  grosser  ones  he  recognizes  offhand  as  dangerous,  and 
they  are  eliminated  from  the  investigation.  But  among  the  finer  ones, 
to  choose  that  one  to  dominate  which  will  make  the  most  effective  life 
is  not  so  easy.  An  investigation  of  the  personal  character  of  Christ 
reveals  the  fact  that  He  selected  unselfishness  to  dominate,  a  selection 


SCIENCE  AS  A  TEACHER  OF  MORALITY  45 

that  squarely  holds  in  check  the  strongest  natural  impulses.  The 
difficulty  of  this  adjustment  is  unquestionable;  no  more  difficult  one 
could  be  suggested;  but  it  means  the  difference  between  the  sun  pulling 
everything  to  itself,  and  the  sun  radiating  light  and  energy  in  every 
direction.  Testing  the  conclusion  by  the  lives  that  have  actually 
touched  his  own,  the  investigator  finds  abundant  confirmation,  for  tlie 
effective  lives  are  essentially  radiating  centers  of  energy. 

The  problem  of  one's  effective  adjustment  to  his  fellow-men  is  even 
more  perplexing;  but  the  model  studied  says  clearly  that  the  answer  is 
service,  not  service  that  seeks  a  return,  but  service  prompted  by  love. 
And  again,  personal  observation  says  that  this  is  true. 

Perhaps  you  are  not  aware  of  the  strong  appeal  that  love  as  a 
stimulus  to  right  conduct  makes  to  the  scientific  mind.  The  scientific 
man  is  accustomed  to  stimuH  and  their  responses,  and  he  is  fully  alive 
to  the  fact  that  all  that  is  finest  in  human  conduct  is  a  response  to  the 
stimulus  of  love.  Therefore,  in  a  religion  whose  basic  principle  is  love, 
and  whose  God  is  the  personification  of  infinite  love,  he  recognizes  an 
influence  on  personal  character  and  on  social  order  that  must  regener- 
ate both  when  fully  applied. 

Thus  the  effective  adjustments  are  found,  and  the  life  that  seeks  to 
develop  by  selecting  unselfishness  and  service  as  dominant  principles  is 
well  started  on  its  way  towards  religion. 

I  wish  to  remind  you  again  that  this  is  no  fancy  sketch  of  what 
might  occur  and  probably  never  has  occurred,  but  a  very  brief  state- 
ment of  the  successive  steps  that  have  often  been  taken  by  men  whose 
training  demands  an  approach  of  this  kind  or  none  at  all. 

It  is  not  clear  to  me  that  you  will  regard  such  results  as  of  very  large 
value,  especially  if  you  are  not  familiar  with  the  scientific  attitude  of 
mind  and  the  steps  it  must  take  to  reach  a  conclusion  that  brings  con- 
viction and  self-application.  And  yet  it  means  to  me  that  the  scientific 
mind  is  open  to  moral  truth,  is  incapable  of  being  diverted  from  it  by 
prejudice  or  second-hand  opinion,  and  is  compelled  to  accept  and  apply 
it  when  recognized.  It  is  an  attitude  of  mind  peculiarly  intolerant  of 
sham  or  of  cant,  and  likely  to  brush  aside  unessentials  that  do  not 
seem  such  to  all;  but  this  comes  not  only  from  its  training,  but  is  also 
one  of  the  things  it  has  learned  to  admire  in  the  life  of  Jesus  Christ. 
I  am  afraid  that  it  is  little  interested  in  theologies,  for  their  data, 
methods,  and  conclusions  are  to  it  hke  a  foreign  tongue;  but  I  make 
bold  to  say  that  it  is  immensely  interested  in  moraHty  and  religion, 
and  none  appeals  to  it  so  strongly  as  does  the  morality  and  religion 
.of  Jesus  Christ. 


46  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

It  is  impossible  to  overestimate  the  effect  of  the  scientific  spirit, 
which  dominates  modern  scholarship,  upon  that  general  attitude  of 
mind  that  is  making  the  world  at  large  more  sane  and  better  able  to 
repress  unbalanced  thinking.  From  this  point  of  view,  it  would  seem 
as  though  scholarship  had  at  last  entered  upon  its  serious  mission  of 
curbing  the  irrelevant  emotions  of  mankind,  and  of  introducing  that 
intellectual  domination  which  must  analyze  problems  to  their  ultimate 
factors  and  construct  general  systems  of  belief  that  are  rational  and 
effective. 


THE  ETHICAL  EDUCATION  OF  PUBLIC  OPINION 
PRESIDENT  HENRY  S.  PRITCHETT,    Ph.D.,  LL.D. 

MASSACHUSETTS   INSTITUTE   OF    TECHNOLOGY,   BOSTON,  MASSACHUSETTS 

In  a  sense,  this  question  includes  all  other  questions  of  education, 
for  in  our  day  public  opinion  has  come  to  be  the  supreme  intellectual 
and  moral  force  of  civilization.  In  a  state  of  religious  and  civil  free- 
dom such  as  we  enjoy  in  America,  public  opinion  is  nothing  other 
than  the  gradually  forming,  gradually  advancing  conscience  of  the  na- 
tion and  of  the  race. 

It  is  worth  noting  that  we  give  to  this  universal  conscience  some- 
times one  name,  sometimes  another.  When  men  speak  to-day  of 
Christianity,  they  sometimes  mean  nothing  other  than  this  race  con- 
science, for  in  its  wider  sense  Christianity  to-day  is  no  longer  a  matter 
of  church  or  of  dogma;  it  is  an  expression  of  the  spiritual  life  of  a  race, 
as  determined  by  the  gradually  growing  conscience  of  humanity.  The 
question  is.  How  shall  this  public  opinion,  this  race  conscience,  af- 
fected by  a  thousand  influences  of  our  complex  modern  life,  —  how 
shall  this  conscience  of  a  nation  be  educated  so  that  it  may  grow  steadily 
toward  strong  and  true  ethical  standards?  Men  have  been  trying  to 
answer  this  question  for  two  thousand  years;  but  in  the  last  quarter 
of  a  century  they  have  been  trying  to  answer  it  under  conditions  so 
vastly  different  from  those  of  the  centuries  before,  that  a  very  brief 
reference  to  them  seems  necessary  for  any  consideration  whatsoever 
of  the  question  itself.  The  essential  difference  between  those  con- 
ditions is  this:  we  men  of  to-day  —  and  again  I  speak  to  college  men  — 
have  entered  into  a  state  of  intellectual  and  religious  freedom  which 
the  world  never  before  knew.  Up  to  the  middle  of  the  last  century 
men's  thinking  and  men's  consciences,  were,  in  great  measure,  limited 
by  considerations  of  authority  and  of  organization.  There  are  still 
men,  and  men  of  the  highest  intelligence,  who  are  wilHng  to  submit 
their  thinking  and  their  conscience  to  the  limits  of  rehgious  authority 
or  of  religious  dogma,  and  are  happy  in  it.  With  such  men  the  scholar 
who  strives  toward  a  larger  religious  life  can  have  no  quarrel.  But 
for  the  great  body  of  college  men,  for  the  great  mass  of  scholars,  the 
day  of  authority  in  religious  thinking  has  gone  by.  We  stand  in  a 
world  of  complete  intellectual  and  religious  freedom,  in  which  each 
man  acknowledges  no  higher  authority  than  the  standard  of  his  own 

47 


48  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

conscience  and  his  own  thinking  present  to  him.  And  yet,  nothing  is 
more  clear  than  the  fact  that  this  freedom  does  not  necessarily  mean 
peace  or  contentment,  or  a  higher  spiritual  life.  In  America,  not  only 
in  intellectual  and  religious  matters,  but  in  political  matters  as  well, 
we  are  constantly  tempted  to  regard  freedom  as  an  end,  not  a  means; 
to  consider  it  happiness  in  itself,  not  the  road  to  happiness;  to  think 
of  it  as  a  release  from  responsibility,  not  to  realize  that  freedom  brings 
greater  responsibihty;  to  enter  into  it  carelessly  and  lightly  as  if  our 
service  were  at  an  end,  not  reverently  and  in  the  knowledge  that  it  is 
the  beginning  of  a  higher,  a  larger,  a  deeper  service. 

Shall  our  children  of  God  ever  learn  that  freedom  brings  service? 
God  led  the  children  of  Israel  out  of  the  land  of  Egypt,  out  of  the 
house  of  bondage,  into  freedom.  But,  brethren,  that  freedom  was  not 
Sinai,  nor  yet  the  promised  land;  it  was  the  wilderness.  Let  us 
rejoice  in  the  complete  freedom  of  our  generation  and  of  our  coun- 
try, for  the  way  of  Freedom  is  God's  way;  but  let  us  not  think  we 
are  at  Sinai  or  in  the  promised  land  when  we  are  only  in  the  wilder- 
ness. Men  have  no  more  adjusted  themselves  to  the  new  conditions 
of  this  freedom  than  they  have  adjusted  themselves  to  the  new  condi- 
tions of  transportation,  and  to  the  enormous  industrial  changes 
which  have  come  through  it.  We  are  out  of  the  house  of  bondage, 
both  as  men  and  as  organizations,  —  political,  civil,  religious,  —  but 
we  have  only  entered  into  the  wilderness  of  political,  intellectual, 
and  religious  freedom. 

Taking  into  account  these  conditions,  thanking  God  for  the  freedom 
into  which  the  world  has  come,  but  looking  with  clear  eyes  at  the  fact 
that  this  freedom  has  brought  us  only  into  the  wilderness,  the  question 
we  ask  ourselves  is.  What  is,  then,  to  be  done,  and,  more  particularly, 
what  is  there  for  college  men  to  do,  to  educate  the  conscience  of  men 
to  right  ethical  standards? 

So  far  as  I  can  see  my  way  to  answer  this  question,  the  answer  is 
this: 

The  education  of  the  conscience  of  mankind  is  not  a  matter  of  ethics, 
but  of  religion;  not  a  matter  of  moral  distinctions  and  of  rules  of  life, 
but  a  matter  of  spiritual  development  in  a  new  environment;  not  a  mat- 
ter of  high  ethical  appreciation,  but  a  matter  of  the  divine  life  in  the 
individual  human  soul.  If  men  are  to  be  led  through  the  wilderness 
of  freedom  into  the  promised  land  of  a  higher  religious  conscience  and 
a  deeper  service,  it  will  come  only  through  religious  leadership, — but 
one  capable  of  dealing  with  the  conditions  of  the  day  and  of  the  age, — 
the  age  of  reason  and  of  freedom.     If  there  is  any  one  service  above 


THE  ETHICAL  EDUCATION  OF  PUBLIC  OPINION  49 

all  others  which  the  college  men  of  to-day  may  render  to  their  race, 
it  lies  in  the  training  of  leaders  who  have  in  their  hearts  the  simple 
religion  of  Jesus  Christ  without  the  theology  of  the  Church  which  calls 
itself  by  His  name.  A  rehgious  leadership,  intelligent,  scholarly,  de- 
voted, spiritual,  —  but  divorced  from  theology,  —  is  the  greatest  agency 
which  college  men  can  bring  to  the  education  of  public  opinion.  Men 
will  no  longer  accept  authority  outside  of  their  own  consciences,  but 
leadership  plays  as  great  a  part  as  it  ever  did;  and  religious  leader- 
ship, just  as  political  leadership,  must  take  hold,  not  only  of  the  mind, 
but  of  the  emotional  nature,  that  deep  endowment  of  our  being  in  which 
lies,  for  the  most  part,  our  loves  and  our  hates,  our  hopes  and  our  fears, 
our  aspirations  and  our  ideals.  A  man  to-day,  whether  in  the  Church 
or  out  of  it,  must  have  the  quality  of  leadership  if  he  is  to  influence 
public  opinion. 

I  am  aware,  that  in  making  such  an  answer,  we  only  push  back 
the  difficulty  one  step.  The  question  still  confronts  us,  how  to  pre- 
pare men  for  religious  leadership;  and  this  is  as  difficult  a  problem 
to  answer  as  the  original  question,  but  it  has  the  advantage  of  at  least 
greater  definiteness.  I  may  do  nothing  more  than  make  a  few  state- 
ments concerning  it. 

And,  first,  I  will  say  that  any  man  who  has  to  do  with  a  great  stu- 
dent body,  under  whose  eyes  pass  year  by  year  the  great  stream  of 
energy  and  devotion  and  power  contained  in  the  lives  of  young  men, 
must  feel  keenly  the  tremendous  preponderance  of  material  influences 
which  bear  upon  those  men  in  the  education  of  to-day.  Somehow, 
in  the  rush  of  their  lives,  in  the  sharp  competition  to  get  a  living,  in  the 
national  readiness  of  Americans  for  a  trial  of  strength  with  one  an- 
other, the  spiritual  forces  of  the  student  Hfe  seem  to  have  less  chance 
at  a  man  then  they  did  twenty-five  years  ago.  Even  when  one  admits 
the  narrowness  of  the  rehgious  teaching,  the  barrenness  of  the  tradi- 
tions which  went  as  truths,  the  constant  tendency  for  mistaking  the 
letter  for  the  spirit  which  characterized  religious  instruction  in  the  last 
generation,  he  nevertheless  reahzes  that  through  all  this  ran  a  deeper 
significance  which  did  turn  the  thoughts  of  men  continually  away  from 
the  daily  treadmill  of  that  which  is  material.  No  man  can  have  at 
heart  the  welfare  of  his  country,  and  of  his  race,  without  a  deep  desire 
for  a  stronger  spiritual  influence  in  the  lives  of  those  armies  of  students, 
for  something  adequate  to  deal  with  the  ever-growing  tide  of  material- 
ism which  sweeps  over  them. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  more  experience  one  has  with  this  question, 
and  the  closer  contact  he  gains  with  the  student  life,  the  less  sure  he  is 


50  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

as  to  the  specific  means  to  bring  about  this  end;  the  more  he  comes 
to  distrust  specifics  in  education  in  any  direction,  rehgious  education 
included.  Of  this  much  only  he  feels  certain,  that  he  who  seeks  to 
deal  with  the  men  of  our  colleges, —  men  who  are  intellectually  alert, 
in  the  main  earnest,  ambitious,  —  he  who  seeks  to  deal  with  these 
men  in  religious  matters  must  do  so  upon  a  plane  of  intellectual  sin- 
cerity far  above  that  which  satisfied  the  men  of  a  generation  ago.  No 
hiding  behind  authority,  no  quibble  about  words,  no  sanctity  of  in- 
spired page,  will  avail.  The  unconscious  traditions  of  religious  life, 
the  store  of  memorized  verses  of  the  Scripture,  the  inbred  respect 
for  the  preacher  and  his  profession  with  which  you  and  I  grew  up, 
do  not  exist  for  them.  We  scarcely  realize  how  great  these  forces 
were  in  our  lives  until  we  feel  their  absence  in  this  man  of  a  new 
generation  of  freedom.  He  looks,  clear-eyed  and  unblinkingly,  at  the 
questions  of  religious  observance  and  of  religious  life,  and  he  will  face 
your  theological  statement  in  exactly  the  same  mental  attitude  in 
which  he  deals  with  a  formula  in  chemistry.  And  yet,  deep  down 
in  his  breast  the  same  spiritual  possibilities  lie,  and  when  you  touch 
him  on  the  great  fundamental  questions  of  our  human  life,  its  mean- 
ing, its  outcome,  its  greater  possibilities,  you  find  him  responsive,  and 
thoughtful,  and  eager. 

What  agency  can  be  invoked  to  stir  this  latent  critical  spirit  of  free- 
dom into  the  earnestness  of  religious  leadership  ?  In  seeking  to  answer 
such  a  question,  one  turns  naturally  to  the  Christian  Church.  Is  the 
Church,  in  its  various  denominational  efforts,  able  to  furnish  a  re- 
ligious leadership  which  shall  be  efficient  in  the  education  of  the  Pub- 
lic Conscience? 

This  is  a  serious  question  for  the  Church  and  for  those  out  of  its 
formal  relationship.  The  outlook  to-day  is  not  the  most  hopeful. 
The  Church  suffers  under  certain  great  disadvantages.  It  is  an  or- 
ganization, and  shows  the  inertia  of  all  human  organizations.  Or- 
ganizations, for  this  reason,  never  lead;  men  lead.  To-day  the  Church 
is  trying  to  hold  on  with  one  hand  to  a  traditional  theology  and  with 
the  other  to  reach  out  to  the  fast  changing  forces  of  science  and  the  new 
industrial  life.  Any  organization  is,  in  one  sense,  curiously  unfitted  to 
undertake  the  promotion  and  the  care  of  religion.  For  what  is  religion, 
after  all,  but  the  divine  life  in  the  individual  human  soul,  a  divine  flower 
growing  up  in  its  natural  soil  from  the  ever-present  energy  of  the  Father 
himself?  It  was  of  the  very  essence  of  Christ's  leadership  that  it 
lent  itself  to  the  inspiration  of  the  individual  religious  life,  so  that  each 
man  led  his  own  life  with  God.     Inevitably,  no  organization' can'^deal 


THE  ETHICAL  EDUCATION  OF  PUBLIC  OPINION  51 

with  this  problem  as  such;  this  is  one  reason  why  the  better  the  organ- 
ization, the  more  difficult  the  production  of  leaders  of  this  type,  and  the 
greater  the  tendency  for  the  organization  and  those  in  it  to  be  diverted 
to  the  advancement  of  the  organization  or  to  the  science  of  religion, 
which  is  theology,  and  which  has  the  same  relation  to  religion  which 
botany  has  to  the  flowers,  or  which  astronomy  has  to  the  stars,  or 
which  chemistry  has  to  the  chemical  reactions.  Now,  in  the  freedom  of 
our  twentieth-century  wilderness  there  is  a  demand,  not  for  leaders  who 
can  perfect  the  organization,  or  who  can  defend  the  science  of  religion, 
but  for  leaders  who  may  show  men  how  to  grow  in  their  own  hearts 
the  flowers  of  true  religion;  how  to  see  in  their  own  skies  the  stars  of 
everlasting  hope  and  truth;  how  to  keep  alive  in  their  own  hearts  the 
chemistry  of  love  and  devotion  and  unselfishness,  and  commune  with 
Him  who  is  the  Father  of  all. 

That  a  great  undercurrent  of  religious  influence  and  of  religious 
thought  is  beginning  to  stir  in  human  aflfairs  which  has  no  connection 
with  Church  organization,  is  evident  to  every  man.  Through  the 
world  there  is  striving  a  deep,  sincere  reaching  after  God.  In  many 
ways  this  spirit  is  crude,  indefinite,  and  sometimes  wavering.  Will 
there  come  out  of  this  movement  religious  leaders  able  to  influence 
public  opinion,  and  to  lead  the  consciences  of  men  to  the  thought  of  their 
individual  religious  life?  The  political,  not  less  than  the  religious, 
future  of  the  nation  hangs  upon  such  leadership,  for  right  government 
of  the  people,  for  the  people,  and  by  the  people  will  come,  not  out  of 
political  organization  or  out  of  drastic  municipal  regulations:  it  will 
come,  if  it  come  at  all,  out  of  the  growth  of  a  true  religious  life  in  the 
hearts  of  all  men. 

To  plan  for  such  a  leadership,  and  to  bring  forth  such  leaders,  is 
the  noblest  work  to  which  college  men  may  give  themselves,  and  in 
such  leadership  lies  the  most  powerful  influence  to  affect  at  once  the 
conscience  of  the  individual,  and  of  the  nation,  and  of  the  race.  Give 
us  from  the  college  life  religious  leaders  able  to  deal  with  to-day's  prob- 
lems and  the  ethical  and  religious  education  of  public  opinion  will 
follow. 


^  ^   1  DISCUSSION 

PROFESSOR  HENRY  S.  NASH,  D.  D. 

EPISCOPAL   THEOLOGICAL    SCHOOL,    CAMBRIDGE,   MASSACHUSETTS 

I  assume,  first,  that  the  pith  of  the  question  we  are  handling  con- 
cerns the  younger  generation.  The  training  of  the  young-  is  our  su- 
preme problem.  If  we  can  solve  that  problem  well,  the  question  of 
the  older  generation  will  take  care  of  itself.  Second,  that  effective 
moral  teaching  cannot  be  abstract.  It  must  be  vivid  and  concrete. 
The  ideal  method  of  moral  teaching  would  be  one  that  took  great  con- 
ceptions and  visualized  them,  embodying  them  in  high  imagination. 

With  this  much  taken  for  granted,  it  follows  of  itself  that  we  must 
implant  the  social  conscience  in  the  young  by  keeping  our  great  con- 
ceptions close  to  the  ground.  Not  very  long  ago,  all  our  teaching  was 
bookish;  now,  it  aims  at  concreteness.  Thus,  in  teaching  geology  to 
the  children  of  Boston,  the  good  teacher  starts  with  the  immediate  lo- 
cality. So  in  the  "  training  of  the  social  conscience."  It  is  only  our 
ingrained  individualism  that  prevents  our  seeing  that  the  substantive 
and  the  adjective  in  this  phrase  were  joined  together  by  God,  and  that 
man  cannot  put  them  asunder.  If  we  take  the  young  in  the  natural 
order  of  their  thought,  our  task  is  easy.  Boys  run  as  naturally  to  groups, 
and  teams,  and  gangs  as  they  run  to  a  swimming-pool  in  the  dog-days. 
So,  the  moral  education  of  the  young  should  work  in  this  natural  and 
instinctive  direction.  It  should  find  children  at  home  and  teach  them 
there. 

But  morality  is  enfeebled  if  it  be  detached  from  high  imagination. 
The  morality  of  the  young,  therefore,  must  be  steeped  in  imagination, 
in  noble  and  compelling  forms.  Now,  no  form  of  thought  is  both 
noble  and  compelling  unless  it  takes  a  great  conception  and  endues  it 
with  a  more  or  less  visible  body.  And  here  it  is  that  the  laws  of  teaching, 
as  we  are  beginning  to  apply  them,  find  in  the  ripe  results  of  the  criti- 
cal study  of  the  Bible  the  best  means  of  training  the  social  conscience. 
All  the  more  is  this  true  if  we  can  teach  the  Bible  as  we  have  seen  it 
grow,  without  spending  our  time  in  explaining  or  explaining  away 
the  old  conceptions  of  the  Bible. 

The  aim  is  to  train  the  conscience  so  that  it  shall  be  a  social  conscience, 
so  that  every  thought  of  duty  shall  have  a  social  side.  How  can  that 
be  better  done,  or  so  well  as  by  teaching  the  Scriptures  in  an  historical 

52 


DISCUSSION  53 

way?  So  studied  and  taught,  they  tell  us  how  a  nation,  starting  on 
the  foundations  of  primitive  tribaUsm,  grows  up  into  the  supreme  con- 
ception,—  the  kingdom  of  God.  The  prophets  come  before  us  as  the 
piercing,  penetrating  critics  of  the  social  and  political  life  of  their  na- 
tion. They  clear  the  ground  in  thought,  as  they  cleared  the  ground  in 
history,  for  the  supreme  Person  —  the  Christ  —  who  took  the  national 
hope  of  His  people,  and  by  perfect  self-sacrifice  and  self-assertion 
purified  it  so  that  it  became  the  hope  of  the  race. 

Thus,  Bible-teaching,  allied  to  the  natural  and  instinctive  lines  of 
growth  in  childhood  and  youth,  may  breed  up  in  the  young  a  kind  of 
conscience  wherein  the  individual  and  the  social  elements  are  indis- 
solubly  blended.  From  the  Book  of  Deuteronomy  to  the  First  Epistle 
of  John,  by  way  of  the  Person  of  Christ,  is  there  any  other  way  for 
conscience  to  travel  ? 

One  of  the  topics  yesterday  evening  was.  The  Bible  as  an  Aid  to 
Self -discovery.  The  thought  of  to-night  which  supplements  it  is  that 
he  who  knows  his  Bible  knows  that  there  is  but  one  place  where  he 
can  hope  to  have  a  clear  knowledge  of  himself.  That  place  is  deep 
and  widening  human  fellowship.  There  alone  can  one  know  the 
God  and  Father  of  Jesus  Christ.  There  alone,  through  the  knowledge 
of  the  one  true  God,  can  one  attain  to  a  clear  and  saving  knowledge 
of  one's  self. 


PROFESSOR  WILLIAM  E.  B.  DU  BOIS,    Ph.  D. 

ATLANTA   UNIVERSITY,    ATLANTA,    GEORGIA 

It  is  impossible  for  the  individual  to  reach  the  larger  social  con- 
science by  sheer  expansion,  by  a  benevolent  endeavor  to  be  interested 
in  all  men.  This  leads  inevitably  to  a  tenuous  filmy  consciousness, 
a  loss  of  grip  on  the  realities  of  human  beings  —  on  the  concrete  man. 
It  becomes  easily  a  theoretical  rather  than  a  practical  humanitarianism, 
and  has  often  been  illustrated  in  the  world's  history  by  the  wavering 
and  doubting  of  the  philanthropic  mind. 

We  can  only  be  interested  in  men  by  knowing  them  —  knowing 
them  directly,  thoroughly,  intimately;  and  this  knowing  leads  ever  to 
the  greatest  of  human  discoveries ,^he  recognization  of  one's  self  in 
the  image  of  one's  neighbor;  the  sudden,  startling  revelation,  "  This 
is  another  Me,  that  thinks  as  I  think,  feels  as  I  feel,  suffers  even  as 
I  suffer."  This  is  the  beginning,  and  the  only  true  beginning,  of  the 
social  conscience. 

But  it  is  the  beginning,  and  not  the  end.  If  followed  up  with  real 
interest  and  determination,  it  must  lead,  next,  to  the  discovery  and 


54  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

realization  of  the  stranger,  to  something  at  first  subtle  and  fleeting,  then 
shadowing  into  strength  and  reality,  that  tells  us,  Here  in  this  my  neigh- 
bor stand  things  I  do  not  know,  experiences  I  have  never  felt,  depths 
whose  darkness  is  beyond /^me,  and  heights  hidden  by  the  clouds;  or, 
perhaps,  rather,  differences  in  ways  of  thinking,  and  dreaming,  and 
feeling  which  I  guess  at  rather  than  know;  strange  twistings  of  soul 
that  curve  between  the  grotesque  and  the  awful. 

But  to  them  that  persevere,  to  them  that  say,  "  I  do  not  just  com- 
prehend why  a  working-man  loves  to  get  drunk,  or  why  a  housemaid 
buys  curious  hats,  or  why  a  negro  basks  lazily  in  the  sun,  these,  and 
yet  greater  things,  I  do  not  understand,  and  yet  I  will,  in  God's  truth, 
seek  to  know  all  this  and  more," — to  such  hearts  and  minds  will  come 
in  time  the  glimpse  of  a  larger  answer,  the  faint  yet  growing  compre- 
hension of  human  likenesses  that  both  transcend  and  explain  the  dif- 
ferences, and  that  reveal,  in  the  realization,  the  essential  humanity  of  all 
men, —  that  strange  kernel  of  life,  which,  hidden  though  it  be,  and  in 
body,  thought,  and  surrounding  far  removed  from  us,  is  yet  for  us  and 
in  us,  the  greatest  fact  in  the  world. 

Once  this  is  recognized,  then  comes  the  only  practical  synthesis  in 
this  world  of  self-sacrifice  and  self -development :  the  recognition  of 
myself  as  one  of  a  world  of  selves,  not  as  all,  but  as  one;  not  as  nothing, 
but  as  one. 

Hither  the  social  conscience  must  come,  without  wavering,  with- 
out compromise.  In  a  world  of  men,  even  of  differing  and  different 
men,  we  cannot,  on  account  of  cowardice,  treat  any  of  these  men  as  less 
than  men;  we  cannot  slink  back  of  Darwinism,  to  discover  excuses, 
or  whiten  our  lies  by  laying  them  on  the  Lord.  If  you  have  aspira- 
tions above  the  dirt,  why  may  not  your  coachman?  If  you,  in  the 
choking  narrowness,  stretch  groping  arms  for  air,  why  may  not  the 
hod-carrier  be  dissatisfied  too?  If  you  count  yourselves  as  something 
more  than  your  money,  why  may  not  I  ? 

To  induce,  then,  in  men  a  consciousness  of  the  humanity  of  all  men, 
of  the  sacred  unity  in  all  the  diversity,  is  not  merely  to  lay  down  a 
pious  postulate,  but  it  is  the  active  and  animate  heart-to-heart  knowl- 
edge of  your  neighbors,  high  and  low,  black  and  white,  employer  and 
employed;  it  means  a  firm  planting  of  human  ideals;  the  training  of 
children  to  be  through  their  doing,  and  not  simply  to  do  through  their 
being;  the  setting  of  our  faces  like  flint  against  the  modern  heresy 
that  money  makes  the  man,  and  a  revere.it  listening,  not  simply  to  the 
first  line  but  to  the  last  line  of  Emerson's  quatrain: 


DISCUSSION  55 

'There  is  no  great,  no  small, 
To  the  Soul  that  maketh  all; 
Where  it  cometh,  all  things  are— 
And  it  Cometh  everywhere." 


REV.    SAMUEL    M.    CROTHERS,    D.D. 

MINISTER   OF  THE   FIRST   PARISH,    CAMBRIDGE,   MASSACHUSETTS 

Let  me  emphasize  what  President  Pritchett  has  said  about  the 
difficulty  which  besets  the  Church  in  this  matter  of  moral  leadership. 

The  Church  is  a  great  historical  institution.  It  has  a  life  running 
through  centuries.  It  draws  inspiration  from  a  glorious  past.  One 
of  the  great  articles  of  the  historic  creed  is,  "  I  beHeve  in  the  Holy  Cath- 
olic Church."  This  means  more  than  a  belief  in  the  present-day 
Church.  It  is  the  expression  of  loyalty  to  a  great  historic  movement. 
I  believe  not  only  in  what  good  men  are  doing  to-day,  but  in  what  they 
have  done  through  all  these  ages.  "  Like  a  mighty  army  moves  the 
Church  of  God."  It  is  a  military  maxim  that  "an  army  must  be  dis- 
tributed widely  in  order  to  subsist;  it  must  unite  in  order  to  fight."  So 
the  Church  must  seek  for  its  suppHes  over  a  wide  territory.  It  must 
be  ever  seeking  the  best  in  literature,  in  science,  in  art,  in  daily  ex- 
perience. 

Then  all  these  things  must  be  united,  and  all  its  varied  force  be 
brought  to  bear  upon  the  besetting  sin  of  the  day.  What  is  the  beset- 
ting sin  of  society  ?  There  have  been  times  when  it  was  superstition, 
slavery,  or  intemperance.  To-day  the  gravest  danger  is  the  greed 
for  gain.  Our  American  communities  are  ill  governed  because  men 
who  will  not  lie  in  a  personal  transaction  will  allow  a  lie  for  their 
own  party  to  go  unrebuked.  Men  who  will  not  themselves  steal  will 
tamely  submit  to  corporate  stealing.  There  needs  to  be  a  revivial  of 
simple  honesty  and  civic  courage. 

If  the  Church  is  to  do  its  part  in  this  reformation,  it  must  first  purify 
itself.  And  then  the  Church  must  be  united.  It  must  present  a  solid 
front. 


HOW  CAN  WE  QUICKEN  IN  THE  INDIVIDUAL  A  SENSE 
OF    NATIONAL   AND    UNIVERSAL    BROTHERHOOD? 
The  Sacredness  of  Citizenship 

PRESIDENT  WILLIAM  J.  TUCKER,  D.  D,    LL.  D. 

DARTMOUTH  COLLEGE,    HANOVER,   NEW  HAMPSHIRE 

We  must  be  sure  that  we  advance  our  ideals  as  the  facts  for  which 
they  stand  are  filled  with  power.  Every  powerful  thing  must  be  capa- 
ble of  being  invested  with  sacredness,  else  it  is  an  evil  thing.  It  is  the 
chief  business  of  righteousness  to  follow  after  power  and  after  powerful 
men.  Whenever  this  work  is  ignored  or  evaded,  all  minor  tasks  are 
futile.  The  account  with  righteousness  is  not  kept  by  attention  to 
incidentals.  As  some  one  has  recently  said,  "  There  is  something 
grander  than  benevolence,  more  august  than  charity:  it  is  justice." 
Citizenship,  as  it  advances  to  its  new  and  enlarging  functions,  must 
become  more  and  more  sacred  in  the  eyes  of  men,  if  it  is  to  fulfill  these 
functions.  It  must  concern  itself,  according  to  our  judgment  of  its 
business,  with  "  the  weightier  matters  of  the  law."  We  must  learn 
to  be  impatient  of  all  easy  and  spectacular,  if  not  questionable,  sub- 
stitutes for  citizenship  in  downright  earnest. 

So  much  lies  in  our  subject  without  further  saying.  But  how  shall 
we  compass  so  great  an  end,  which  is  nothing  less  than  to  raise  the 
moral  estimate  of  citizenship?  How  shall  we  who  beheve  in  the  value 
of  education  contribute  to  this  end?  How  shall  we  come  out  of  the 
academic  into  the  practical,  and  say  the  things  we  have  to  say,  and  do 
the  things  we  have  to  do,  effectively?  So  far  as  the  masses  are  con- 
cerned, we  must  work,  I  think,  in  and  through  the  concrete.  Citizen- 
ship is  a  matter  of  principles  and  ideals;  but  it  is  no  abstraction.  It 
is  a  matter  of  details,  which,  in  their  ceaseless  and  monotonous  re- 
turn, teach  "  line  upon  line  and  precept  upon  precept."  Citizens  are 
made  by  doing  the  things  for  which,  at  any  given  time,  citizenship 
stands.  There  is  no  other  way  of  making  the  ordinary  citizen.  Prin- 
ciples are  established,  standards  are  set,  ideals  are  made  clear  and 
abiding  through  persistent,  or  as  in  some  cases  through  aroused  and 
impassioned,  action.  A  campaign  like  that  of  District  Attorney  Jerome 
on  the  East  Side  of  New  York  is  first  educational,  secondarily  political. 
We  can  educate  somewhat  through  the  schools;  but,  for  the  most  part, 
we  must  be  ready  to  take  the  field,  and  deal  with  men  who  do  not  think 
much  in    our  way,  but  who  are  capable  of  thinking  earnestly. 

56 


NATIONAL  AND  UNIVERSAL  BROTHERHOOD  57 

But  the  immediate  question  before  us,  and  as  it  seems  to  me  the 
most  serious  poHtical  question  before  the  country,  is,  not  how  shall  we 
educate,  in  the  ordinary  sense,  those  whom  we  call  the  masses?  but 
how  shall  we  raise  in  those  already  educated  the  moral  estimate  oj  citi- 
zenship? The  greatest  political  danger  of  our  time  does  not  come  di- 
rectly from  ignorance,  but  from  the  use  made  of  ignorance  by  the  in- 
telligence of  organized  power,  with  the  tacit  consent  of  the  intelligence 
of  culture.  Ignorance  may  be  the  condition;  it  is  not  the  inciting  cause 
of  political  corruption.  That  cause  lies  within  the  region  of  intelligent 
dishonesty.  It  is  our  bounden  duty,  for  every  reason,  to  educate  the 
ignorant;  but  it  is  a  shame  that  we  are  obliged  to  educate  them  for 
the  sake  of  protecting  ourselves  from  our  own  trained  and  often  edu- 
cated leaders,  who  have  become  adepts  in  corruption. 

It  is  as  true  to-day  as  when  Carlyle  said  it,  "  It  is  the  knowing  ones 
who  rule."  WTiat  do  our  "  knowing  ones  "  think  about  citizenship? 
What  is  the  moral  estimate  which  they  put  upon  it  ?  What  is  the  moral 
estimate  which  we,  as  a  consenting,  if  not  an  active,  political  part  of 
the  knowing  and  ruling  ones,  put  upon  it?  Let  us  test  very  briefly 
this  moral  sense  of  citizenship  as  it  comes  within  our  observation  or 
experience. 

Citizenship,  we  shall  agree,  requires  the  faithful  use  of  political 
rights.  Rights,  once  established,  instantly  become  duties;  otherwise 
we  must  speak  of  them  as  unoccupied  rights.  An  unoccupied  political 
right  always  represents  so  much  indifferentism, —  moral  as  well  as 
physical  absenteeism.  The  percentage  of  unused  rights  has  become 
a  calculable  factor  in  political  manipulation.  It  can  be  pretty  definitely 
located  in  any  given  community,  for  it  usually  follows  the  lines  of  intell- 
igence. We  familiarly  say  that  the  quahty  of  the  vote  in  New  England, 
not  its  size,  depends  upon  the  weather.  No  man  can  faithfully  use 
his  political  rights  without  a  good  deal  of  inconvenience,  personal  ef- 
fort, and  sometimes  personal  courage.  The  result  is  an  increasing 
disuse  of  political  rights  among  those  who  are  unwilling  to  pay  the 
price  of  the  right.  It  is  for  this  reason  that  a  great  many  question 
the  extension  of  political  rights,  as  through  woman  suffrage.  Will  the 
rights,  if  established,  be  occupied  ?  Citizenship  is  cheapened  by  un- 
used, as  it  is  demoralized  by  misused',   privileges. 

Citizenship,  we  shall  emphatically  agree,  requires  that  its  po- 
litical purity  be  kept  inviolate.  Bribery  is  to  suffrage  what  forgery 
is  to  business,  or  treason  to  the  service.  But  bribery  is  a  recog- 
nized, not  exactly  authorized,  but  recognized,  method  of  transacting 
poUtical  business.     Neither  party  claims  to  be  free  from  it.     The  gen- 


58  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

eral  facts  in  regard  to  political  bribery  are  part  of  the  public  knowledge, 
though  it  may  be  difEcult  to  individualize  them.  Aside  from  the  dull- 
ness of  the  party  conscience  at  this  point,  the  most  disheartening  feature 
of  this  whole  business  has  been  the  failure  to  put  the  emphasis  upon 
the  wrong  in  the  fit  place. ^  We  have  held  in  public  contempt  the  men 
who  take  bribes,  instead  of  holding  under  public  condemnation  the 
men  who  give  bribes.  Not  until  the  exposure  in  Missouri  were  we 
ready  to  view  this  matter  in  the  right  proportion.  Of  course  there  is 
a  vast  difference  in  degree  between  the  selling  of  one's  vote,  and  the 
sale  of  one's  official  power  or  influence  as  a  legislator  or  judge;  still, 
it  is  the  men  or  the  corporations  who  are  taking  the  initiative  in  this 
kind  of  corruption  with  whom  we  are  chiefly  concerned.  We  cannot 
expend  our  wrath  or  our  contempt  upon  their  victims  and  allow  them 
to  maintain  their  respectability.  Certainly,  as  regards  the  purchase 
of  votes  it  is  the  purchaser  who  is  the  greater  sinner  in  the  light  of  the 
sacredness  of  citizenship.  It  is  he  who  conceives  the  mischief,  and 
works  the  temptation,  and  secures  the  result.  Upon  him  should  fall 
the  heavier  condemnation.  We  are  just  awakening  to  the  enormity 
of  the  offense  of  bribery  on  its  active  as  well  as  on  its  receptive  side. 
Let  us  learn  to  discriminate  in  respect  to  bribery  in  the  purchase 
of  votes  among  the  more  ignorant  voters,  so  that  the  penalty  shall  fall 
where  it  belongs,  at  a  second  remove  upon  ignorance,  at  first  hand  upon 
intelligence. 

Citizenship,  we  shall  further  agree,  requires  the  subordination  of 
private  interests  to  the  public  good.  I  would  not  affirm  that  men  are 
more  selfish  or  less  patriotic  than  formerly,  it  is  entirely  evident 
that  there  are  greater  opportunities  for,  and  greater  incentives  to,  self- 
aggrandizement  at  the  public  cost  than  formerly.  Organization  has 
become  a  powerful  influence  in  stimulating  private  interests.  It  re- 
tires personal  responsibility;  it  awakens,  in  its  place,  ambition  and 
pride  in  large  adventures;  it  develops  great  rivalries;  it  creates  powers 
which  must  be  recognized,  and  which  may  demand  to  be  fostered  by 
the  state.  Unconsciously,  it  may  be,  the  private  citizen  finds  himself 
carried  on,  step  by  step,  by  the  way  of  organized  power,  to  a  position 
where  he  seeks  to  utilize  the  government,  or  where  he  is  forced  to  an- 
tagonize it.  The  process  is  evident,  and  we  are  becoming  familiar 
with  the  result.  Hence  the  growing  fear,  in  the  public  mind,  of  or- 
ganized power,  as  such, —  a  fear  which  is  beginning  to  include  organ- 
ized labor  as  well  as  organized  capital.  It  requires  no  prophetic  vision 
to  foresee  the  nature  of  the  next  political  struggle, —  if  there  is  to  be  a 
struggle  rather  than  a  campaign, —  that  it  must  be  between  the  organ- 


NATIONAL  AND  UNIVERSAL  BROTHERHOOD  59 

ized  and  the  unorganized  power  of  the  country;  in  which  event  organ- 
ized capital  and  organized  labor  will  be  found,  of  necessity,  upon  the 
same  side.  Who  can  doubt,  in  the  present  circumstance,  the  duty  of 
all  enlightened  and  patriotic  citizenship  of  trying  to  avert  the  pos- 
sibility of  such  a  struggle.  Now,  if  ever,  is  the  time  to  consider,  and 
to  consider  diligently,  the  public  good,  if  for  no  other  reason  than  that 
lasting  security  may  be  given  to  all  private  interests  which  are  compati- 
ble with  the  public  good. 

And  yet,  again,  I  am  sure  that  you  will  agree  with  me  as  I  say  that 
citizenship  cannot  exist  without  sentiment.  The  state  is  not  a  cor- 
poration. It  has  a  soul.  It  has  its  essential  greatness  in  its  humanity. 
Citizenship  amongst  us  must  conform  to  the  political  aims  which  we 
profess  and  to  the  political  ideals  which  we  cherish.  It  is  the  ruling 
passion  of  a  people  which  fixes  its  destiny.  That  ancient  and  forma- 
tive passion  for  liberty,  that  respect  for  man  as  man,  that  sense  of  jus- 
tice which  was  not  satisfied  till  it  had  set  the  bondman  free,  that  hos- 
pitality which  has-  held  the  doors  of  the  nation  open  to  all  who  aspire 
after  freedom,  that  tolerance  which  has  kept  the  realm  of  opinion  as 
free  as  the  realm  of  action,  that  almost  impracticable  sentiment  which 
has  been  struggling,  and  is  struggling  still,  to  realize  the  equality  of 
opportunity, —  all  these  are  our  inheritances  of  the  spirit,  the  endow- 
ment of  our  citizenship.  These  are  the  things  for  which  we  stand. 
Realized  politically,  they  make  a  democracy.  Realized  spiritually, 
they  make  a  brotherhood.  Let  us  realize  them  through  citizenship. 
Let  us  keep  the  path  of  the  democracy  of  toil  and  struggle  open  to  the 
last  material  rewards  to  which  it  is  entitled.  Let  us  keep  the  path  for 
the  democracy  of  the  mind  open  through  every  grade  of  education  to 
the  last  training  of  the  university.  Let  us  keep  the  path  for  the  democ- 
I'acy  of  the  soul  open  to  every  spiritual  privilege,  even  if  in  so  doing  we 
must  needs  reconstruct  our  churches.  Nothing  less  than  these  things 
can  satisfy  the  deep  and  abiding  sentiment  of  citizenship. 

Judged  by  the  tests  which  I  have  recalled,  we  cannot  say  that  citi- 
zenship, as  it  exists  within  our  knowledge,  is  clothed  with  those  sanc- 
tities which  can  alone  give  it  saving  and  redeeming  power.  And  yet 
I  firmly  believe  that  there  has  begun  a  revival  of  the  political  conscience 
of  the  nation  which  is  to  make  its  moral  power  commensurate  with  its 
intelligence.  We  are  certainly  growing  more  sensitive  to  political  wrong- 
doing, if  in  the  nation,  if  in  the  state,  even  in  the  city,  we  are  growing 
steadier  and  more  determined  in  movements  for  reform.  We  are  not 
afraid  to  invoke  the  law  of  the  land  for  all  legitimate  ends  which  are 
revealed   by  public  necessities.      We  are   growing  less   narrow,   less 


6o  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

captious,  less  partisan  in  our  criticism  of  public  men,  and  more  dis- 
criminating in  our  support  of  those  whom  we  believe  deserve  well  of 
the  republic.  Approval  of  the  right,  and  of  right  men,  is  just  as  much 
a  sign  of  moral  advance  as  criticism  of  the  wrong  and  of  wrong  men. 
And  we  are  also  coming  to  believe,  as  a  nation,  that  greatness  is 
not  incompatible  with  righteousness,  but  rather  that  if  greatness  be 
ordered  by  God,  righteousness  must  come  forth  out  of  it  in  the  divine 
sequence.  If  God  be  in  His  world  at  the  present  time,  this  must  be 
so,  ^OT  all  things  which  belong  to  the  nations  are  taking  on  the  dimen- 
sions of  greatness.  The  spirit  of  nationality,  of  which  I  spoke  at  the 
beginning,  of  which  we  are  beginning  to  be  really  conscious,  is,  I  be- 
lieve, related  to  the  spirit  of  God.  In  His  name  it  is  summoning  na- 
tion after  nation  to  show  itself  at  its  best.  There  is  a  call  of  God  to 
nations,  as  to  men,  to  be  great.  It  is  not  wise  for  a  nation,  any  more 
than  it  is  for  a  man,  when  that  call  comes,  "  to  hide  amongst  the  stuff." 
May  God  in  His  infinite  grace  deliver  this  nation  from  the  weakness 
and  the  cowardice  of  mere  material  prosperity,  into  that  "  liberty  where- 
with He  makes  His  people  free." 


The  Mission  of  Christianity  to  the  World 

PRESIDENT  CHARLES   CUTHBERT  HALL,  D.  D. 

UNION  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY,  NEW  YORK  CITY 

To  bring  the  individual  into  conscious  relation  with  God,  and  to 
develop  in  him  a  social  conscience,  are  not  the  only  aims  of  Religious 
Education.  There  is  a  third  aim,  which  includes  the  others,  and  ad- 
vances beyond  them.  The  question  before  us,  at  this  time  is,  How 
can  we  Quicken  in  the  Individual  a  Sense  of  National  and  Universal 
Brotherhood  ?  This  is  but  another  way  of  asking.  How  can  we  pro- 
mote in  man  a  Godlike  attitude  and  spirit  toward  the  world?  It  is 
the  world-view  of  a  man,  and  the  world-view  of  a  people,  that  makes 
man  and  people  small  or  great.  We  shall  not  preserve  the  religious 
spirit  of  our  nation  by  external  efforts  of  instruction  alone.  These  will 
fail  unless  within  the  hearts  of  our  youth  is  conserved  and  cultivated 
that  Godlike  attitude  and  spirit  toward  the  world  which  is  the  sense  of 
National  and  Universal  Brotherhood.  God  is  love;  and  he  that  loveth 
not  knoweth  not  God.  Religion  is  not  only  consciousness  of  God,  not 
only  a  social  conscience  toward  our  neighbor;  it  is  a  Godlike  attitude, 
a  Godlike  temper  of  the  mind  toward  the  whole  world  of  men.  How 
shall  we  quicken  this  among  the  millions  of  our  younger  citizens  ? 

The   wise   counselor,   the   President   of   Dartmouth   College,   has. 


NATIONAL  AND  UNIVERSAL  BROTHERHOOD  6i 

in  part,  answered  this  question  by  his  address  on  the  Sacredness 
of  Citizenship.  There  is  nothing  new  in  the  proposal  to  connect 
rehgion  with  citizenship.  It  is  a  thought  that  has  haunted  the 
world  from  time  immemorial.  The  East  is  full  of  it.  The  civ- 
ilization of  the  West  has  arisen  out  of  the  successive  attempts  of 
men  and  nations  to  promote,  to  modify,  or  to  banish  this  thought. 
It  has  taken  on  the  form  of  ecclesiastical  autocracy,  dominating  the 
state  and  the  members  of  society  with  the  rod  of  spiritual  despotism. 
It  has  appeared  in  the  modified  form  of  a  constitutional  union  of  Church 
and  State,  with  a  religious  establishment  and  a  prescribed  liturgy  em- 
anating from  the  throne  as  the  head  of  the  Church.  It  has  been  re- 
pudiated altogether  in  secularist  reactions,  wherein  citizens,  goaded  to 
the  denial  of  God  by  the  tyranny  of  clericalism,  have  proved  the  im- 
mortality of  the  idea  of  religious  education  by  their  futile  efforts  to 
extirpate  it  from  the  public  mind.  To-day,  in  the  United  States,  where 
ecclesiastical  autocracy  is  impossible,  where  constitutional  union  of 
Church  and  State  is  equally  impossible,  where  no  provocation  to  secu- 
larist reaction  arises,  because  no  interference  with  religious  liberty  is 
attempted,  an  opportunity  exists,  perhaps  unparalleled  in  the  history 
of  the  world,  to  show  the  normal  relation  of  religion  to  citizenship  in 
national  life.  That  opportunity  is  an  educational  one.  It  is  found 
wherever  children  and  youth  are  found.  It  consists  in  whatever  deep- 
ens the  impressionable  nature  of  the  young,  a  spirit  of  reverence,  a 
sense  of  national  brotherhood,  a  belief  in  the  sacredness  of  public 
duty.  Already  this  spirit  is  widespread;  promoted,  thank  God!  by 
the  contagion  of  good  example  on  the  part  of  some  in  the  highest  sta- 
tions of  government  in  the  land.  It  will  be  strange  if  the  American 
genius  for  surmounting  difficulties,  joined  with  the  American  concep- 
tion of  rational  patriotism,  be  not  adequate  ultimately  to  deal  with  that 
highest  civic  problem  of  religious  education,  in  which  citizens  of  all 
faiths  have  equal  interest,  the  cultivation,  in  institutions  maintained 
by  the  public  funds,  of  that  sacred  attitude  of  mind  toward  citizenship 
which  springs  from  the  training  of  the  religious  instincts,  and  only 
from  that. 

But  the  correct  training  of  the  religious  instincts  leads  to  results 
wider  than  patriotism.  There  is  a  brotherhood  that  reaches  beyond 
national  lines;  a  citizenship  of  the  world,  in  the  view  of  which  there  is 
neither  Jew  nor  Greek,  barbarian,  Scythian,  bond  nor  free,  but  only 
manhood,  with  its  rights  and  its  wrongs.  To  qualify  for  that  larger  citi- 
zenship in  the  world;  to  quickeo  in  the  individual  the  sense  of  univer- 
sal brotherhood,  the  Godlike  attitude    toward  other  races  and  other 


62  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

faiths;  the  respect  for  man  as  man, —  is  the  supreme  end  of  Religious 
Education.  It  is  possible  that  all  may  not  be  in  sympathy  with  this 
aim.  Some  may  consider  it  visionary,  a  matter  of  phrases  rather 
than  an  affair  of  reality,  deeming  that  it  is  impossible  to  look  on  races 
unlike  our  own  with  those  feelings  of  homogeneity  and  affection  that 
are  associated  with  the  idea  of  brotherhood.  Some  may  call  it  a  revo- 
lutionary aim,  tending  to  subvert  the  providential  order  of  superior 
and  inferior  races;  a  leveling  doctrine,  at  variance  with  the  Anglo- 
Saxon  tradition.  But  for  those  who  have  discounted  artificial  dis- 
tinctions born  of  time  and  caste  and  unequal  opportunity,  who  have 
construed  the  Christian  religion  in  the  terms  of  the  cosmopolitanism  of 
Jesus  Christ,  nothing  is  more  sure  than  that  the  cultivation  of  the  sense 
of  universal  brotherhood  is  in  accord  with  the  spirit  of  Christ,  with  the 
best  educational  principles,  with  a  rational  philosophy,  and  with  the 
tendencies  that  shall  advance  the  peace  of  the  world.  It  is  a  tremen- 
dous thought,  that  with  the  growth  of  the  democratic  spirit  in  the  twen- 
tieth century,  which  is  the  growth  of  the  right  valuation  of  personality, 
individual  personality  and  national  personality,  there  may  be  at  hand 
a  rediscovery  of  the  mission  of  Christianity  to  the  world,  which  would 
mean  a  return  to  the  cosmopolitanism  of  Jesus  Christ.  How  simple, 
and  how  majestic  in  its  simplicity,  is  Christ's  attitude  and  spirit  toward 
the  world.  His  mind  is  disburdened  of  all  questions  of  sectarianism 
and  race  prejudice.  He  has  incarnated  Himself  in  the  life  of  the  race, 
and  every  interest  of  the  race  is  dear  to  Him.  He  is  unhampered 
by  autocratic  tradition;  He  is  incapable  of  the  luSt  of  conquest. 
His  heart  beats  in  unison  with  every  upward  impulse  of  hu- 
manity, and  bows  in  sympathy  over  each  futile  effort.  The  griefs 
of  the  world  weigh  upon  Him.  He  weeps  for  its  sins.  He  loves  the 
world  with  an  eternal  passion,  as  of  an  only-begotten  from  a  Father. 
He  gives  His  life  for  the  world  in  atoning  sacrifice  with  joy  that  despises 
the  shame  of  the  cross,  saying:  "  If  I  be  lifted  up,  I  will  draw  all  men 
unto  myself."  What  simplicity  of  intention!  what  cosmopolitanism 
of  spirit!  Far  away  from  it  has  moved  the  Christian  civilization  of 
the  West,  caught  in  the  strenuous  complications  of  its  historical  devel- 
opment. Every  force  that  is  alien  to  the  cosmopolitanism  of  Christ 
has  wrought  upon  it,  to  obscure  from  the  eyes  of  the  world,  the  real 
mission  of  Christianity.  Ecclesiastical  despotism  has,  more  than  once, 
claimed  a  monopoly  of  knowledge,  in  order  that,  through  fear,  born 
of  ignorance,  it  might  promote  submission  to  authority.  Sectarian 
strife  has  dismembered  the  Church,  witli  fury  that,  at  times,  has  rivaled 
the  ferocity  of  pagan  wars.     The  spirit  of  feudalism,  which  is  the  sub- 


NATIONAL  AND  UNIVERSAL  BROTHERHOOD  63 

ordination  of  the  many  to  the  will  of  the  few,  has  dominated  Chris- 
tian states  and  shaped  the  foreign  policies  of  Christian  empires.  The 
slavery  of  men  has  been  sanctioned  by  Christian  opinion.  Race  hatreds, 
deep  and  implacable  as  those  of  Islam,  have  flourished  in  the  soil  of 
Christendom  and  wafted  their  influence  to  the  Far  East.  The  pro- 
vincialism of  proud  nations,  glorying  in  the  name  of  Christian,  has 
nourished  morbid  beliefs  in  destiny,  which  have  made  them  destroyers, 
and,  to  the  Oriental  mind,  have  identified  Christianity  and  armed  im- 
perialism as  synonymous  terms. 

Not  with  rash  and  shallow  condemnation  does  one  speak  of  these 
historic  aspects  which  have  arisen  in  the  evolution  of  the  Western  world. 
However  regrettable  they  may  appear  from  the  standpoint  of  an  ideal- 
ist, doubtless  they  have  been  part  of  the  travail  of  creation,  without 
which  mighty  products  of  good  could  not  have  been  born.  Doubtless 
they  shall  be  overruled,  both  in  their  direct  and  indirect  influences  of 
evil,  through  the  great  providence  of  God,  who  makes  the  wrath  and 
the  error  and  the  vain  pride  of  man  to  praise  Him.  And  we  must  not 
forget  that  with  these  regrettable  things  have  come  also  many  things  of 
priceless  value,  that  are  of  the  essence  of  our  religion  and  in  harmony 
with  the  mind  of  Christ ;  truths  that  have  been  purged  of  dross  in  the 
alembic  of  controversy;  institutions,  domestic,  social,  political,  sacra- 
mental, that  have  survived,  as  if  immortal;  moral  ideas  that  must  re- 
main, though  heaven  and  earth  should  pass  away.  It  is  true  that  the 
West  dare  not  point  to  its  historical  development  as  an  example  of 
ideal  Christian  evolution.  But  it  is  also  true  that  the  West,  ascending 
through  strife,  and  sin,  and  sorrow  to  its  present  greatness,  bears  wit- 
ness to  the  imperishable  essence  of  the  Revelation  of  Christ. 

To  all  who  observe  the  passage  of  events,  and  who  reflect  on  what 
they  observe,  the  present  state  of  the  world  speaks  of  impending  changes, 
the  meaning  and  extent  of  which  are  not  to  be  predicted.  The  acute 
crisis  in  the  Far  East  suggests  immeasurable  possibilities  in  the  re- 
distribution of  controlling  interests.  Beyond  this  obvious  portent  of 
change  are  other  signs  which,  though  obscured  for  the  moment  by  the 
clouds  of  war,  strike  the  practised  eye,  and  shall  in  their  succession 
appear  before  the  public  mind.  The  familiarity  of  intercourse  be- 
tween the  most  remote  part  of  the  world  is  the  more  impressive  because 
it  excites  comment  no  longer.  We  go  to  the  Far  East  to-day  with  less 
difficulty  of  preparation  and  less  sense  of  remoteness  than  our  fathers 
who  went  from  Boston  to  the  valley  of  the  Mississippi.  We  expect 
the  presence  of  Orientals  in  our  seats  of  learning;  at  BerHn,  at  Stras- 
burg,  at  Oxford,  at  Harvard,  at  Princeton.     Nor  are  there  lacking, 


64  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

in  the  East,  seats  of  learning  rivaling  our  own,  where  science  and  lit- 
erature and  politics  of  the  West  are  taught.  Academic  interchanges 
within  the  East  are  habitual.  India  and  China  are  dispatching  the 
flower  of  their  youth  to  Japan  to  study  European  biology  and  phi- 
losophy in  the  imperial  universities  of  Kyoto  and  Tokyo. 

Numerous  local  movements  of  spiritual  reform  are  taking  place  in 
Hindu,  Mohammedan,  and  Buddhist  circles;  movements  that  appear 
to  be  sporadic,  but  reveal,  on  closer  scrutiny,  one  common  term,  the 
assimilation  of  portions  of  the  Christian  truth;  and,  like  the  returning 
of  a  Nova  Scotian  tide  from  its  long  ebb,  there  is  rolling  in  upon  the 
educated  life  of  the  Orient  the  pressure  of  mysterious  impulses  making 
for  a  new  social  order;  the  flood  of  fresh  suggestion,  bespeaking  hope 
and  energy  to  cover  the  wreckage  of  long  passivity  and  philosophical 
despair;  the  mysterious  appreciation  of  Christ  and  of  the  esoteric  as- 
pects of  Christianity. 

As  one  ponders  the  present  state  of  the  world,  noting  these  phenom- 
ena of  the  East,  with  others,  ominous,  yet  not  less  evident,  darkening  the 
sky  of  northern  Europe,  and  as  one  reflects  that  God's  plan  moves  on- 
ward, whatever  else  be  stayed,  the  question  presses.  Is  there  shortly  to 
be  a  new  interpretation  of  the  mission  of  Christianity  to  the  world? 
After  the  long  ages  of  the  historical  evolution  of  the  West,  during  which 
ecclesiastical  despotism  and  sectarian  strife,  and  the  spirit  of  feudalism, 
and  race-hatred,  and  the  provincial  pride  of  destiny  have  drawn  the 
thick  veil  of  Western  civilization  between  the  face  of  Christ  and  the 
waiting  East,  is  there  to  be  a  new  Epiphany,  a  fresh  manifestation  of 
Christ  to  the  Gentiles  through  some  nation  that  has  come  out  of  the 
blind  evolutionary  struggle  into  the  simplicity  that  is  in  Christ? 

If  so,  can  we  be  that  nation  ?  There  are  conditions  present  in  our 
life  that  suggest  the  possibiHty  of  our  election  for  this  benign  service. 
In  the  heart  of  our  people  is  the  spirit  of  civil  liberty.  That  spirit  has 
so  incarnated  itself  in  our  life  that  it  determines,  more  or  less,  our 
world-view.  We  judge  of  the  blessedness  or  misery  of  nations  by  the 
measure  of  their  freedom  and  their  self-sufiiciency.  Therefore,  what- 
ever may  exist  in  the  thinking  of  individuals,  there  exists  not,  in  the 
thinking  of  the  American  people,  the  desire  to  enslave,  the  lust  to  con- 
quer. If,  lately,  we  have  appeared  to  the  East  as  a  military  power, 
it  was  because  honest  men  deemed,  whether  rightly  or  wrongly,  that 
this  was  a  step  toward  the  ultimate  liberty  of  enslaved  peoples,  not 
a  barrier  against  it,  and  I  believe  that  this  desirable  view  of  our  motive 
prevails  throughout  the  East  up  to  this  time. 

Nor  is  the  American  view  of  religious  liberty  less  pronounced.     Our 


NATIONAL  AND  UNIVERSAL  BROTHERHOOD  65 

most  holy  traditions  are  the  voluntary  principle  and  the  unfettered 
right  of  conscience.  To  scorn  the  faith  of  any  man  is  to  surrender 
what  our  fathers  won  and  held  through  suffering. 

But,  if  it  be  God's  pleasure  to  use  this  nation,  so  wondrously  seg- 
regated from  the  comphcations  of  European  pohtics,  to  make  to  the 
bewildered  world  a  new  demonstration  of  the  essential  spirit  of  Chris- 
tianity, there  must  come  a  great  deepening  in  the  nation's  heart  of  the 
sense  of  universal  brotherhood,  which  is  (to  use  the  venerated  language 
of  our  authorized  version)  "  good  will  toward  men."  Peace  on  earth 
comes  not,  abides  not,  returns  not,  save  where  there  there  is  good  will 
toward  men;  a  deep  sohcitude  for  the  world's  good,  a  growing  tradi- 
tion of  world-wide  love  in  a  nation's  heart,  supplanting  that  unchas- 
tened  selfishness  which  is  the  first  tendency  of  a  prosperous  and  pro- 
gressive people. 

From  that  tendency  we  are  by  no  means  exempt.  At  present  its 
expression  in  the  terms  of  militarism  is  held  in  check  by  the  traditional 
love  of  Uberty  for  ourselves  and  for  all  mankind;  but  in  the  more  sub- 
tle forms  of  commercial  ambition  it  may  steal  upon  us  unawares.  Sir 
Wilham  Humber,  in  his  history  of  British  India,  affirms  that  Great 
Britain  entered  the  East  with  no  thought  of  mihtary  empire.  Her  mo- 
tive was  a  commercial  motive.  The  subjugation  of  the  peoples  of 
India  was  a  dream  born  of  her  mercantile  successes. 

There  is  no  guaranty,  save  one,  and  that  is  the  pervading  influence 
of  the  spirit  of  Jesus  Christ  in  our  people,  that  commercial  eagerness 
shall  not  lead  us  on  to  aggression,  and  aggression  issue  in  conquest. 

Conquest  may  bring  wealth,  and  conquest  may  bring  glory,  but  the 
price  of  it  shall  be  to  forfeit  the  chance  of  interpreting  the  mission  of 
Christianity  to  the  Eastern  world. 

It  is  certain  that  the  representatives  of  Western  nations  never  can 
reinterpret  the  mission  of  Christianity  to  the  Orient,  in  part  enraged,  in 
part  jaded  and  dispirited,  by  sword-thrusts  from  the  West,  unless  there 
be  shown  in  the  nations  they  represent  a  purpose  to  temper  selfish 
ambition  by  that  first  law  of  Christ's  Ufe,  "  good  will  toward  men."  In 
these  proud  days  of  the  repubhc  we  hear  much  spoken  of  our  mighty 
destiny  among  the  nations.  God  save  us  from  being  inebriated  with 
the  sense  of  destiny,  and  from  losing  the  sense  of  justice  to  remote 
nations  and  respect  for  Asiatic  rights  and  aspirations. 

It  is  also  certain  that  the  representatives  of  Western  nations  must 
relatively  fail  to  interpret  Christianity  to  the  scholarly  minds  of  the 
East,  if  they  insist  that  Christianity  necessarily  implies  ecclesiastical 
institutions  and  dogmatic  definitions  identical  with  those  of  the  Occi- 


66  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

dental  worshipers  of  Christ.  To  say  this  is  in  no  sense  an  undervalua- 
tion of  our  Christian  theology.  So  far  from  undervaluing  theology  as  a 
hindrance  upon  life,  I  should  esteem  life  as  not  worth  living,  were  it  not 
for  those  apostolic  beliefs  concerning  God  and  the  person  and  work 
of  Christ  which,  because  I  hold  them,  and  in  the  way  in  which  I  see 
them,  are  my  theology,  upon  which  my  life  is  founded.  But  I  cannot 
demand  of  men  whose  institutional  conceptions  are  the  fruit  of  Oriental 
inheritancy,  and  whose  points  of  contact  with  the  revelation  of  God 
in  Christ  are  determined  by  the  canons  of  Oriental  thinking,  that  they 
shall  adopt  all  the  intellectual  terms  in  which  I,  of  another  inheritance, 
formulate  my  belief  in  these  great  primary  beliefs  of  Christianity,  or  else 
be  understood  to  have  no  share  in  an  essence  of  truth  which,  on 
Christ's  own  word,  is  of  universal  application  and  for  universal  posses- 
sion. Let  me  rather  so  believe  in  the  Holy  Ghost,  so  trust  that  Light 
which  lighteth  every  man  coming  into  the  world,  so  honor  the  attempts 
of  all  nations  and  kindreds  and  peoples  to  attain  unto  God,  so  wait  for 
the  East  to  lift  herself  from  her  long  bewilderment  and  for  God  to 
complete  what  He  Himself  has  begun,  so  dismiss  that  inherent  scorn 
of  the  East  which  has  been  the  stumbling-block  cast  by  Anglo-Saxon 
pride  in  the  path  of  Christ's  world  conquest,  that  in  my  heart  there  shall 
be  but  a  Godlike  yearning  for  the  souls  of  all  men,  and  in  my  life  a 
Christlike  mark  of  sacrifice. 

There  is  but  one  way  to  preserve  and  to  propagate  this  spirit  in  the 
American  nation,  with  our  genius  for  commercialism,  our  love  for 
progress,  our  perilous  pride  of  destiny.  It  is  to  promote  the  influence 
of  this  large  view  of  the  mission  of  Christianity  to  the  world  upon  the 
millions  of  our  younger  citizens  in  their  school  and  college  days.  In- 
tensify this  by  wise  and  well-considered  methods,  and  they  shall  de- 
velop a  sense  of  the  brotherhood  of  the  world,  a  zeal  for  the  advance- 
ment of  the  world,  a  deference  for  the  rights  of  the  world,  a  respect  for 
the  aspirations  of  the  world  that  shall  make  our  national  spirit  an  in- 
terpretation of  the  mission  of  Christianity  to  the  non-Christian  races. 
Permit  these  younger  citizens,  on  the  other  hand,  in  the  most  impres- 
sionable years  of  life,  to  drink  only  the  heating  wine  of  secular  ambi- 
tion, to  acquire  only  the  hunger  for  control  of  the  world's  resources, 
to  foster  race  prejudice  and  crude  Occidentalism,  and  each  generation, 
moving  further  away  from  the  ancestral  heritages  of  the  Christian  re- 
ligion, shall  postpone  the  coming  of  the  kingdom  of  God  on  earth. 

Men,  judging  in  haste,  may  call  the  deliberations  of  this  Convention 
academic,  but  time  will  show  that,  among  the  voices  that  have  pleaded 
from  this  platform  for  a  greater  emphasis  upon  religion  throughout  our 
whole  educational  system,  all  have  spoken  as  patriots,  some  as  prophets. 


ADDRESSES  AT  DEPARTMENTAL  SESSIONS 
The  Joint  Sessions  of  Departments 


THE  PLACE  OF  FORMAL  INSTRUCTION  IN  RELIGIOUS 

AND  MORAL  EDUCATION 

In  the  Home 

president  G.  STANLEY  HALL,  Ph.D.,  LL.D. 

CLARK  UNIVERSITY,  WORCESTER,  MASSACHUSETTS 

From  a  biological  standpoint,  good  parenthood,  in  all  that  that  noble 
and  pregnant  term  involves,  is  the  supreme  end  of  man.  This  means 
that  that  man  and  woman  is  the  best  who  produces  and  rears  to  fullest 
bodily,  mental,  and  moral  maturity  the  most  and  the  best  children. 
No  other  service  equals  this.  God's  covenant  with  Abraham,  that  if  he 
did  His  will  his  children  should  be  as  the  stars,  only  expresses  a  uni- 
versal law  of  life.  Nature's  one  penalty  for  every  kind  of  violation  of 
the  fundamental  laws  of  our  being  is  progressive  extinction.  No  mat- 
ter what  the  sin,  its  punishment  is  some  form  of  lessened  vitality,  per- 
version or  arrest.  The  ultimate  test  of  every  question  of  personal  or 
social  virtue  is  its  effect  on  the  child  in  our  midst,  and  yet  more  its 
effect  on  the  unborn,  with  the  fate  of  countless  generations  of  whom 
every  fruitful  life  is  freighted.  All  the  culture  and  institutions  of  every 
race  are  sound  and  abiding,  or  false  and  transient,  according  as  they 
favor  or  hinder  the  transmission  of  the  sacred  torch  of  Ufe  undimmed 
to  posterity.  This  is  the  standpoint  of  the  new  movement  in  eugenics 
or  practical  heredity,  a  factor  in  every  life  far  more  important  than  en- 
vironment and  education  combined.  In  this  large  sense  let  us  not 
forget  that  paternity  is  as  much  the  culmination  of  man's  education  as 
maternity  is  of  woman's,  and  Mr,  Galton's  proposed  certification  and 
endowment  of  those  fittest  for  each  is  only  recognizing  the  fact  that 
these  are  exactly  the  diplomas  and  these  the  highest  degrees,  summa 
cum  laude,  which  nature  has  always  conferred  on  those  who  finish 
their  course  in  her  great  university. 

How  do  we  stand  in  the  Hght  of  this  great  and  awful  bionomic  law 
that  makes  our  very  Hfe  its  sport  ?  Statistics  show  that  among  both 
the  oldest  American  stirps,  and  also  among  the  educated  classes, 
marriages,  in  both  sexes,  are  later  and  fewer,  that  children  of  those  who 
do  marry  are  less  numerous  and  less  often  nursed,  and  more  often  and 

67 


68  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

earlier  committed  to  the  care  of  nurses,  governesses,  teachers,  and  that  all 
four  of  these  evils  have  grown  steadily  for  at  least  two  generations,  while 
among  the  children  of  the  more  prolific  lower  classes  crime,  as  meas- 
ured by  the  age  of  first  committment,  is  every  decade  more  precocious, 
both  in  city  and  country,  and  also  that  the  growing  diffusion  of  school- 
learning  does  not  bring  proportionate  immunity  from  either  vice  or 
crime,  although  it  does  give  greater  ability  to  conceal  both.  Other 
studies,  nearly  half  a  score  in  number,  made  in  various  parts  of  the 
country  and  on  various  classes,  show  a  rapidly  progressive  ignorance 
of  the  Bible,  despite  home,  church,  and  Sunday  school,  so  that  for  an 
increasing  percentage  of  our  high-school  pupils  its  best  passages  and 
most  salient  incidents  are  so  unknown  that  the  commonest  literary  allu- 
sions to  its  contents  are  not  understood.  Ancient  German  and  Greek 
religions  are  often  better  known.  The  problems  are  too  vast  and  vital 
to  be  solved  by  any  quick  devices,  by  resolutions,  committees,  or  ad- 
dresses. In  view  of  the  magnitude  of  the  danger,  I  feel  profoundly 
that  my,  or  perhaps  any  one's,  program  of  how  to  meet  it  will  seem 
either  radical  or  impractical,  or  both;  but  I  could  not  be  an  optimist  if 
I  did  not  beheve  myself  in  its  soundness  and  efficiency. 

I.  First  of  all,  I  would  have  worked  out  two  concrete  courses  in 
morals, —  one  for  high  school  and  one  for  early  college  classes, —  de- 
tailed and  practical,  rather  than  abstract  and  theoretical.  This  work 
should  begin  in  personal  hygiene  and  regimen,  and  comprise  diet,  ex- 
ercise, body  keeping  and  training,  and  should  enlist  the  strong  and 
legitimate  passion  of  every  young  man  to  be.  strong  and  every  girl  to 
be  beautiful  and  attractive.  It  should  include  dress,  adornment,  eti- 
quette, and  manners;  should  treat  the  seven  deadly  sins  of  the  Cath- 
olic Church, —  pride,  avarice,  luxury,  envy,  anger,  appetite,  sloth, — 
and  the  cardinal"  virtues, —  wisdom,  courage,  temperance,  justice, 
faith,  hope,  and  love, —  should  involve  something  of  temperament, 
habit,  character,  livelihood,  citizenship,  example,  self-respect  and  con- 
trol, selfishness  and  honesty,  patriotism,  companionship  and  friend- 
ship, obedience,  usefulness,  fun,  ambition,  methods  of  study,  duties 
to  self  and  to  relations  and  acquaintances,  to  state  and  church,  and 
should  culminate  in  a  few  wholesome  principles  concerning  purity, 
marriage,  home-making,  fatherhood  and  motherhood,  and  duties  to  the 
unborn.  These  latter  topics  should  be  taught  in  a  condensed  way 
by  hints,  and  without  causing  self-consciousness.  All  should  be  copi- 
ously illustrated  by  examples  drawn  from  history,  literature,  and  life, 
and  while  I  would  not  have  the  religious  motives  omitted,  the  chief 
appeal  should  be  to  prudence  of  a  common-sense  kind,  and  to  the 


INSTRUCTION  IN  RELIGION  AND  MORALS  69 

sentiment  of  honor,  meant  to  be  the  chief  advocate  of  the  interests  of 
the  race  in  the  soul  of  the  individual.  We  still  lack  a  manual  or  cur- 
riculum of  this  kind,  but  experience  has  proven  the  practicability  of  it, 
and  it  is  sure  to  come. 

II.  For  some  children  the  mother  is  literally  in  the  place  of  God, 
and  all  the  sentiments  that  underlie  both  virtue  and  religion  —  viz., 
helplessness,  dependence,  reverence,  devotion,  loyalty,  gratitude,  love, 
service  —  must  in  the  child  first  be  directed  to  her,  and  only  later  are 
they  transferred  to  deity,  nature,  and  society.  Every  failure  on  her 
part  to  supply  food,  care,  love,  authority,  or  to  evoke  any  of  the  sen- 
timents involves  defect  in  the  child's  moral  and  religious  nature.  Hence 
the  mother  who  does  most  for  herself  does  most  for  her  child.  So  sub- 
tle is  this  early  rapport  that  nothing  in  her  soul  or  body  fails  to  register 
its  effect  on  the  body  and  soul  of  the  infant,  who  knows  no  other  god 
but  its  mother.  For  her,  therefore,  religious  and  moral  nurture  means 
not  only  to  crave  motherhood  for  her  own  good,  but  to  want  the  whole 
of  it,  pain,  joy,  and  all.  The  more  we  know  of  early  childhood,  the 
clearer  we  see  that  it  is  what  motherhood  makes  it;  that  motherhood 
is  therefore  the  most  creative  and  divine  thing  in  the  world.  Formal 
instruction  avails  little  without  this  work  of  preformation  to  prepare 
the  soil.  Every  kind  and  degree  of  maternal  ministration  of  this  kind 
increases  receptivity  for  teaching  when  its  time  comes. 

III.  Formal  moral  and  religious  instruction  at  home  should,  of 
course,  begin  with  stories,  very  simple,  brief,  and  oft-repeated  at  first, 
and  rapidly  increasing  in  number,  kind,  and  complexity,  as  the  child's 
intelligence  expands.  Stories  are  the  oldest  form  of  transmitted  cul- 
ture and  the  most  formative.  All  should  have  a  moral  more  and  more 
disguised  and  implicit  as  the  child  advances  in  years,  but  the  moral 
should  be  ever  present  for  sentiments,  will,  or  both.  I  suspect  and 
challenge  the  word  "  formal  "  in  my  topic  if  it  involves,  as  it  does  with 
too  many  pedagogues,  anything  methodic.  It  should  at  first  be  as  free 
as  possible  from  every  element  of  didacticism,  systematic  sequence,  or 
the  drill  factors  of  the  precisian.  Form  should  be  utterly  subordi- 
nated to  content,  and  the  tales  should  be  of  the  greatest  possible  num- 
ber and  variety.  Young  children  need  elemental  story-roots  picturing 
all  the  elemental  good  and  evil  in  the  world; — all  these,  of  which  the 
kindergarten  has  a  very  precious  kit,  though  far  too  few,  too  elaborated 
and  selected  from  too  narrow  a  range,  the  child  needs,  and  for  these 
its  moral  appetite  is  voracious.  Every  mother  should  be  a  story-teller, 
and  her  repertory  should  be  large,  well-chosen,  and  ever  replenished, 
and  the  father  should  take  his  turn.     What  else  was  the  twilight  hour. 


70  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

the  fireplace,  where  that  still  survives,  made  for?  Tales  are  the 
natural  soul-food  of  children,  their  native  breath  and  vital  air;  but  our 
children  are  too  often  either  story-starved  or  charged  with  ill-chosen 
or  ill-adapted  twaddle  tales.  Good  tales,  well  told,  preform  the 
moral  choices  of  adult  life  aright.  Many  Bible  stories  are  among  the 
best,  but  these  are  not  enough,  and  there  are  not  enough  adapted  to 
any  age,  so  we  should  go  outside,  and  draw  on  other  sources.  Here 
our  need  is  a  canon  of  well-chosen  ones  from  a  very  wide  field,  cast 
into  the  right  form  for  each  age. 

IV.  The  religion  of  nature  should  not  be  omitted  in  the  home. 
Everything  has  been  worshiped  by  primitive  man,  and  here,  too,  the 
child  tends  to  repeat  the  history  of  the  race.  Moon,  sun,  stars,  the 
boundless  sky  and  its  great  void,  wind,  stars,  lightning,  wind,  cloud, 
shadow,  sea,  mountains,  fire,  trees,  flowers,  animals,  and,  lastly,  man 
himself,  the  crown  and  epitome  of  all, —  all  these  have  been  supreme 
objects  of  worship  somewhere  and  at  some  time,  and  the  vestiges  of 
these  old  nature-religions  are  many  and  potent  in  the  childish  heart 
and  soul,  and  all  need  some  development,  for  how  shall  the  soul  adore 
the  unseen  till  it  has  first  felt  the  power  of  the  visible  things  that  declare 
the  glory  of  God?  What  kind  of  a  father  is  he  who  has  never  taken 
his  children  on  a  walk  in  the  country,  where  they  could  be  at  least  ex- 
posed to  these  influences?  What  more  hallowed  way  of  spending 
Sunday  afternoon  in  every  season?  And  in  what  environment  does 
parenthood  stand  forth  in  more  dignity  and  majesty  than  on  such  a 
background  of  nature,  the  mighty  parent  of  us  all  ? 

V.  As  to  prayers  at  the  mother  knee,  in  the  family,  grace  at  table, 
Bible  reading  and  memorizing,  these  are  just  as  precious  home  influ- 
ences as  they  ever  were,  or  perhaps  as  any  one  has  ever  claimed  them 
to  be;  but  they  are  all  rapidly  declining,  even  in  Christian  homes. 
They  ought  to  be  maintained  for  their  influence  on  the  children,  even 
if  there  were  no  other  reason.  This  aspect  of  the  decadence  of  the 
home  is  to  me  peculiarly  pathetic.  Must  this  daily  consecration  of  the 
household  to  heaven  lapse  to  a  mere  vanishing  remainder?  Is  a 
psychologist  or  pedagogue  old-fashioned  to  plead  for  these,  when  even 
the  clergy  say  so  little  for  it  ?  Many  can  at  least  have  sacred  songs  and 
hymns  in  the  home  on  fit  occasions,  and  these  sink  deep  and  bear  rich 
fruitage  later. 

VI.  If  formal  instruction  means  catechism  of  either  the  Westminster 
or  more  modern  and  trivialized  form,  I  cannot  plead  for  it,  if  for  no 
other  reason  than  that  there  are  better  uses  of  the  scanty  time,  and 
dogma  is  everywhere  giving  way  to  life.     Moral  and  religious  training 


INSTRUCTION  IN  RELIGION  AND  MORALS  71 

for  children  is,  in  the  home,  essentially  informal,  and  non-examinable. 
It  is  seed  cast  on  the  waters,  which  will  never  again  be  seen  as  seed, 
but  only  as  the  harvest  of  later  years. 

Finally,  and  above  all,  instruction  is  the  atmosphere  of  the  home. 
The  child's  intellect  is  very  small  and  feeble,  but  there  is  nothing  in 
the  domestic  environment  to  which  its  soul  is  not  responsive.  Every 
cloud  in  the  heaven  of  the  parents'  love  for  each  other,  every  moment 
of  suspicion,  every  word  of  censure,  every  act  of  indifference,  wilts  the 
child's  moral  nature.  The  home  must  be  first,  and  not  second  to  busi- 
ness or  to  society.  It  must  be  happy,  for  young  souls  expand  and 
grow  only  where  quiet  joy  reigns.  •  It  must  be  pervaded  by  a  high  sense 
of  duty,  which  is  best  imparted,  not  by  conscious  and  methodic  incul- 
cations, but  by  the  infection  of  example.  There  must  be  high  ideals 
and  standards  in  all  matters,  order,  system,  regularity,  and  therefore 
there  must  be  discipline  and  no  overindulgence.  The  rod  must  not 
be  absolutely  impossible,  but  the  requirements  must  not  be  fitful  or 
changeable. 

Happily,  we  live  in  a  day  of  rapidly  increasing  knowledge  of  chil- 
dren, and  the  more  we  know  of  them,  the  more  they  are  desired,  and 
the  more  clearly  it  is  seen  that  their  bodies  and  souls  are  worthier  than 
anything  else  in  the  world  of  love,  reverence,  and  service,  and  that  noth- 
ing supplies  parents  with  such  potent  motives  to  become  and  to  do 
the  best  they  can  as  the  desire  to  be  the  better  able  to  bring  their 
children  to  the  fullest  possible  maturity  of  all  their  powers. 


In  the  Sunday  School 

REV.  EVERETT  D.  BURR,  D.D. 

PASTOR   FIRST   BAPTIST   CHURCH,  NEWTON  CENTER,  MASSACHUSETTS 

When  God  gave  the  Bible  to  mankind  he  had  thought  of  the  kind 
of  man  to  whom  He  gave  it.  Its  adaptation  to  human  need  is  hke  the 
light  which  adjusts  itself  to  the  eye  of  the  minutest  insect  and  the  ex- 
tended vision  of  man.  This  adaptability  of  the  Scripture  is  not  hmited 
to  the  varied  needs  of  humanity  in  the  large,  but  to  the  changing  needs 
of  the  individual  hfe  in  its  varied  developmental  periods. 

Paul  knew  one  Hfe  at  least  that  from  his  point  of  view  illustrated 
what  the  Scripture  could  do  in  the  culture  of  the  soul.  Of  Timothy 
he  said,"  From  a  child  thou  hast  known  the  Holy  Scriptures,  which  are 
able  to  make  thee  wise  unto  salvation  through  the  faith  which  is  in 
Christ  Jesus.  All  Scripture,  God-breathed,  is  profitable  for  doctrine, 
for  reproof,  for  correction,  for  instruction  in  righteousness,  that  the 


72  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

man  of  God  may  be  perfect,  thoroughly  furnished  unto  all  good  works." 
From  childhood  to  manhood,  from  the  early  years  of  immaturity  to 
the  perfecting  of  character,  the  Scripture  can  be  both  instructor  and 
curriculum. 

In  methods  of  secular  education  the  child  is  no  longer  a  problem, 
but  an  opportunity.  Time  was  when  the  child  was  thought  to  be  a 
volume  to  be  read,  a  riddle  to  be  solved,  a  block  to  be  chis'eled  into 
form :  but  now  we  are  abandoning  the  artificial  methods  and  are  deaUng 
with  soul  Hfe  as  the  scientific  horticulturist  would  deal  with  the  plant, 
by  a  method  in  harmony  with  nature,  which  recognizes  the  four  seasons, 
and  dares  allow  that  this  new  expression  of  the  life  of  God,  a  child, 
shall  not  be  forced  to  fit  a  man's  idea  of  what  he  should  be,  but  rather 
fulfill  the  divine  intention.  The  new  education  understands  its  first 
duty  to  be  to  free  a  soul  from  physical  limitations;  to  open  a  child's 
eyes  and  teach  him  to  see,  to  unstop  the  ears  and  bid  him  to  hear,  to 
guide  the  untrained  muscles  in  their  first  adventures  —  in  a  word,  to  set 
free  the  entempled  soul  in  self-expression. 

The  modern  teacher  does  not  seek  to  instruct,  but  to  educate,  not 
to  inform  the  child,  but  to  form  a  new  life  in  the  child,  not  to  leave  a 
thought,  but  to  find  one,  not  to  project  himself  upon  the  pupil,  but  to 
enable  the  pupil  to  project  himself  as  a  new  force  into  the  world. 

One  cannot  define  the  ultimate  aims  of  the  true  education  ■  with- 
out discovering  that  they  are  coincident  with  the  subHme  purposes 
of  Christian  religion.     Education  is  the  emancipation  of  soul. 

The  salvation  of  the  soul,  as  implied  by  the  traditional  teaching  of 
the  Church,  is  something  independent  of  time,  something  which  can  be 
accomplished  in  a  day.  But  this  implies  that  rehgion  is  only  a  medi- 
cine to  cure  a  disease.  The  great  Teacher  defined  the  salvation  which 
He  came  to  give  in  terms  of  life.  In  His  view,  religion  is  a  diet  to  nour- 
ish the  spirit. 

The  method  of  soul-saving  is  conversion.  The  method  of  soul- 
culture  is  education.  The  former  seeks  excitement;  the  latter,  delib- 
eration. The  former  has  a  definite  end  in  view,  and  when  the  end  is 
reached, is  satisfied;  its  task  is  finished  and  the  evangelist  is  triumph- 
ant. The  latter  has  no  end  in  view;  the  work  is  never  finished,  the 
process  is  endless.  In  the  former  method,  formal  instruction  prevails, 
of  necessity;  in  the  latter,  vital  processes  must  have  sway. 

In  the  light  of  the  new  education  the  older  religious  conception  of 
conversion  of  soul  and  the  modern  conception  of  culture  of  soul  meet 
and  mingle.  They  are  not  contradictory  and  mutually  exclusive;  they 
are  interpenetrating  and  complemental. 


INSTRUCTION  IN  RELIGION  AND  MORALS  73 

Froebel  presents  a  child  in  his  threefold  relationship:  he  is  a  child, 
of  nature  by  his  physical  inheritances,  a  child  of  humanity  by  his  social 
inheritances,  a  child  of  God  by  his  religious  inheritances.  The  child 
has  relations  by  virtue  of  his  inheritances  of  body,  soul,  and  spirit 
with  these  three  worlds.  The  education  of  a  child  consists  in  bringing 
him  to  understand  this  threefold  relationship.  Our  experience  as 
Christian  teachers  has  been  meager,  or  our  eyes  blinded,  if  we  have  not 
seen  the  souls  of  children  expand,  as  well  as  the  souls  of  those  who 
taught  them,  as  they  have  walked  these  plain  paths  into  the  larger 
truths  of  the  divine  revelation. 

In  what  is  distinctly  known  as  secular  education,  formal  instruction, 
or  what  might  be  called  the  library  method,  is  being  displaced  by  what 
might  be  called  the  laboratory  method,  for  in  the  light  of  modern  psychol- 
ogy it  is  seen  that  the  soul  makes  its  larger  acquisitions  by  indirections. 
'  If  you  will  do,  ye  shall  know."  This  is  the  Christian  law  of  mind. 
Activity  opens  all  the  channels  of  approach  for  truth  to  the  soul. 

How  can  one  know  God?  By  formal  instruction  in  Biblical  liter- 
ature and  history,  by  a  mastery  of  the  manuscripts  or  a  memorizing 
of  the  catechism  ?  Does  a  child  know  God  when  he  can  recite  the  books 
of  the  Bible  or  tell  the  Ten  Commandments  ?  The  knowledge  of  God 
must  come  by  experience  and  activity.  Even  formal  instruction  in 
the  Scriptures  will  not  induce  a  religious  life.  The  Bible  is  not  religion, 
nor  does  it  contain  religion.     It  is  a  description  of  religion. 

Formal  instruction  has  a  small  place  in  religious  experience,  if  that 
experience  consists  in  the  knowledge  and  love  of  God  and  the  conse- 
quent joy.  There  must  be  a  larger  method.  The  culture  of  soul  re- 
sults from  or  consists  in  its  reactions.  No  impression  without  ex- 
pression can  ever  be  healthy  or  helpful.  An  impression  which  simply 
flows  in  at  the  pupil's  eyes  and  ears  and  in  no  way  modifies  his  active 
life  is  an  impression  really  lost.  It  is  psychologically  incomplete.  As 
a  mere  impression,  an  impression  is  a  failure.  It  must  produce  some 
motor  consequence  to  be  of  worth;  the  only  durable  impressions  are 
those  in    the  light  of  which  we  speak  or  act. 

Learning  must  be  transformed  into  life.  One  would  not  expect 
to  find  the  yeast  if  he  made  a  cross-section  of  a  loaf  of  bread.  A  cow 
eats  grass  all  day,  but  we  do  not  expect  the  cow  to  give  grass.  She  is 
expected  to  give  milk.  A  boy  may  study  arithmetic  and  learn  to  do  a 
few  examples  correctly.  He  can  tell  if  each  shoe  is  to  have  five  nails, 
how  many  it  will  take  to  shoe  a^ horse.  But  suppose  the  horse's  shoes 
needed  six  nails?  He  is  baffled  because  he  has  found  a  case  which  was 
not  met  by  his  example;  but  when  he  masters  the  principle  of  which 


74  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

his  sum  is  but  an  illustration,  he  can  address  himself  to  the  problems 
of  life  as  they  come. 

The  larger  method  is  satisfied  with  no  education  unless  it  organize 
in  the  resources  of  the  human  soul  those  powers  of  conduct  which  shall 
fit  him  to  live  in  the  world  of  men  and  things.  This,  too,  ought  to  tbe 
the  ultimate  aim  of  the  teaching  in  the  Sunday  school,  to  organize 
capacities  for  conduct,  and  what  he  learns  on  the  Lord's  Day  to  be  so 
related  to  what  he  learns  every  day  that  he  will  see  that  his  every-day 
life  affords  a  laboratory  for  conduct ;  the  activities  and  relations  of  the 
home,  the  school,  and  the  play-ground  become  a  part  of  the  one  great 
life  which  he  is  to  hve  in  the  apphcation  of  rehgious  principle  to 
action. 

Religion  is  a  hfe  to  be  lived,  and  the  world  demands  of  the  educa- 
tional work  of  the  Church  that  those  who  are  instructed  in  its  Sunday 
schools  shall  be  equipped  for  Hving  the  life  of  God  in  His  large  world. 
The  world  demands  that  the  science  of  psychology  shall  claim  its  whole 
field  and  no  longer  consider  the  knowledge  of  religious  truth  as  the  one 
exception  to  the  great  laws  of  mind. 

The  Bible  is  the  great  text-book  for  the  Sunday  school,  but  does 
not  the  Bible  adjust  itself  to  these  larger  demands  of  modern  education  ? 
It  may  well  form  the  curriculum  of  study,  may  well  be  made  the  basis 
of  the  rehgious  education.  We  go  to  botany  to  learn  what  men  have 
proved  to  be  the  laws  which  govern  the  flowers;  we  go  to  grammar  to 
learn  what  men  have  proved  to  be  the  laws  of  expression;  we  go  to  na- 
ture to  learn  what  the  ages  have  proved  to  be  the  great  laws  of  Hfe;  we 
go  to  the  Bible  for  the  principles  of  religion,  for  the  Bible  is  a  record 
of  religious  experience,  an  expression  of  the  religious  life. 

The  adaptabihty  of  the  Scripture  to  the  varied  needs  of  the  grow- 
ing hfe  is  apparent.  In  early  childhood  the  prevaihng  mental  Hfe 
is  through  sense-perceptions.  The  world  of  things  is  first,  and  the 
Bible  meets  the  child  at  the  threshold  of  his  temple  of  learning  with  a 
revelation  of  God  in  His  works.  The  heavens  and  the  earth  are  the 
first  elements  which  appeal  to  him.  Through  these  he  gets  the  first 
gHmpses  of  the  glory  of  God.  The  sense  of  God's  power.  His  wisdom 
and  His  law  wiU  induce  reverence,  trust,  love,  and  obedience  in  the 
child  soul.  The  interests  of  the  growing  boy  are  largely  personal. 
He  loves  people  and  is  interested  in  what  they  do.  Just  here  the  Bible 
offers  the  attractive  narrative,  the  movements  and  achievements  of 
heroes,  and  one  by  one  the  boy  may  become  familiar  with  the  great 
characters,  the  great  movements,  the  great  epochs,  and  the  great  Life, 
and  through  these  gain  a  knowledge  of  God's  care,  His  providence,  His 


INSTRUCTION  IN  RELIGION  AND  MORALS  75 

protection,  and,  as  by  a  revelation,  find  it  easy  thinking  from  spelling 
father  with  a  little  "  f  "  to  spelling  it  with  a  big  "  F." 

In  like  manner,  as  the  abihties,  the  interests,  and  needs  of  the  dis- 
tinct stages  of  development  of  soul-life  appear,  the  Bible  seems  to 
melt  and  pour  itself  into  the  waiting  matrix,  making  possible  a  selection 
of  lesson  material  adapted  to  the  mental  powers,  the  fundamental  in- 
terests, and  the  spiritual  needs  of  the  expanding  soul.  At  every  point 
of  his  progress  in  the  knowledge  of  rehgious  truth,  the  Bible  will  com- 
mand the  intellectual  respect  of  the  student  and  awaken  his  enthusi- 
astic interest ;  his  rehgious  and  moral  needs  will  be  supplied  by  truth 
suitable  to  them,  even  as  these  needs  widen  and  become  more  com- 
plex, and  his  expanding  life  will  steadily  acquire  strength,  breadth, 
and  symmetry.  By  such  a  method  no  truth  will  be  unassimilated,  for 
each  will  enter  into  the  character,  the  new  will  be  related  to  the  old, 
and  his  rehgious  education  in  the  knowledge  of  God  will  be  co-ordi- 
nated with  his  culture  in  other  fields. 

How  pitiably  inadequate  our  present  Sunday-school  methods  seem 
when  the  greatness  of  the  text-book  and  the  sacredness  of  the  human 
soul  are  considered.  The  farther  from  the  shore,  the  deeper  the  sea; 
the  higher  the  hill,  the  wider  the  prospect;  the  deeper  the  shaft,  the 
more  precious  the  metal.  For  the  larger  culture  of  mind  let  there  be 
the  profounder  and  more  scientific  study  of  the  Bible. 

Through  the  training  in  the  Scripture  one  may  gain  the  sensitive 
conscience.  The  full  sensitizing  of  conscience  cannot  be  reahzed 
without  an  inteUigent  mastery  of  the  great  ethical  principles  underlying 
the  institutions  of  Israel.  The  Old  Testament  writers  seem  to  have 
planted  their  feet  immovably  upon  the  one  great  fact,  viz. ;  that  this 
world  was  built  on  righteousness  and  administered  on  principles  of 
justice.  The  Prophecy  of  Habakkuk  is  the  aegis  of  municipal  reform; 
the  Prophecy  of  Amos  the  hand-book  of  social  ethics;  the  prophet 
Isaiah,  the  ideal  statesman. 

Why  do  our  young  men  leave  the  Sunday  school?  Because  we 
have  not  been  wise  enough  to  present  to  them  opportunities  for  the 
study  of  such  rich  fives  as  Isaiah,  Josiah,  and  Samuel.  Young  men 
with  studious  minds  crave  sharp  distinctions;  they  draw  rigid  fines 
of  demarkation.  They  accept  no  compromise.  Conscience  is  dom- 
inant in  youth  and  needs  the  splendid  girding  which  such  a  training  in 
the  great  moral  struggles  of  the  leading  characters  in  the  Bible  can 
alone  afford. 

Again  to  the  training  in  the  Scripture  must  one  look  for  the  power 
of  a  well-girded  will.     The  kingdom  of  heaven  is  a  kingdom  of  divine 


76  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

intention.  The  sublime  secret  of  the  greatest  hfe  is  that  He  came  "  to 
do  the  will  of  God."  The  most  dramatic  picture  in  all  the  revealed 
word  of  God  is  the  waiting  Deity  looking  with  silent  scrutiny  upon  the 
sons  of  men  to  see  if  there  was  one  who  did  His  will,  when  the  silence 
is  broken  by  the  voice  of  the  eternal  Son  of  God  dedicating  Himself 
to  obedience  in  the  words, "  Lo,  I  come  to  do  thy  will,  in  the  volume 
of  the  book  it  is  written  of  me." 

Again,  training  in  the  Scripture  alone  can  give  a  pure  heart.  "  I 
have  hid  thy  word  in  my  heart,  that  I  shall  not  sin  agaist  thee  " ;  "Al- 
ready ye  are  clean,  through  the  word  which  I  have  spoken  unto  you." 

Here,  then,  is  the  man  of  God  perfect,  thoroughly  furnished  unto 
every  good  work.  To  make  such  a  man  is  the  supreme  function  of  the 
Sunday  school.  To  the  realization  of  this  purpose  the  Church  of 
God  in  the  world  to-day  is  summoned  by  a  clarion  note  from  the  skies, 
and  to  this  she  is  urged  by  the  enthusiasm  for  education  which  is  thrilUng 
the  thoughtful  world;  to  this  she  must  be  drawn  by  the  pathetic  appeal 
of  lives  imperfect,  imprisoned,  and  imperiled,  lives  stunted  and  starved, 
hves  ignorant  and  indolent,  Hves  prejudiced  and  palsied,  lives  that 
might. have  been  strong,  brave,  hopeful,  tolerant,  symmetrical,  and  use- 
ful if  the  Church  had  done  her  duty  by  them. 

Let  the  Church  school  in  the  new  century  be  the  center  of  her 
power.  As  she  has  commanded  the  service  of  the  best  architects  in 
building  her  houses  of  worship  and  demands  the  trained  and  equipped 
musicians  to  lead  in  her  service  of  song,  let  her  command,  for  the  in- 
struction of  the  youth,  the  trained  teachers  who,  beUeving  their  work 
to  be  the  highest  on  earth,  will  bring  to  their  tasks  intelligence  and 
devotion,  science  and  consecration,  and  make  full  use  of  the  Book  of 
God  in  building  the  noble  structure  of  the  man  of  God  who  shall  be 
perfect  and  thoroughly  furnished  unto  all  good  works. 


In  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Associations 
GEORGE  ALBERT  COE,  Ph.D. 

JOHN  EVANS    PROFESSOR  OF    MORAL  AND    INTELLECTUAL    PHILOSOPHY  IN    NORTH- 
WESTERN UNIVERSITY 

I.  The  Associations  have  Become  Teaching  Bodies.  The  Young 
Men's  Christian  Associations  constitute  a  movement  in  practical  re- 
ligion. They  have  endowed  no  chairs  for  inyestigating  rehgious  theo- 
ries; they  have  formulated  no  confession  of  faith;  they  entertain  no 
purpose  of  taking  the  place  of  the  churches  as  teachers  of  doctrine. 
The  evangelical  formula  contained  in  the  definition  of  active  member- 


INSTRUCTION  IN  RELIGION  AND  MORALS  77 

ship  is  not  applied  to  individuals,  but  to  churches.  It  is  not  a  creed  or 
a  program  of  teaching,  but  rather  a  means  of  securing  and  holding  a 
definite  constituency.  In  the  future,  as  in  the  past,  the  chief  work  of 
the  associations  will  consist  in  supplying  to  young  men  and  boys  cer- 
tain incentives  and  privileges  that  the  churches,  as  a  rule,  do  not 
provide.  Nevertheless,  the  teaching  function  is  growing.  First, 
the  coming  of  the  student  association  brings  in  the  idea  of  spirit- 
ual growth  or  education  through  study.  Second,  the  establishment 
of  boys'  departments  means  essentially  the  reHgious  education  of  boys. 
Third,  the  growth  of  association  Bible-study  directly  involves  formal 
instruction. 

Within  the  last  seven  or  eight  years  the  associations,  federated  under 
the  International  Committee,  have  become  a  great  teaching  body.  In 
their  classes  are  enrolled  11,000  boys,  26,000  students,  and  25,000  other 
men  —  over  60,000  in  all.  Nearly  1,200  employed  officers,  and  nearly 
700  other  men,  besides  some  thousands  of  student  leaders,  have  charge 
of  classes.  More  than  twoscore  different  courses  are  provided;  writ- 
ten examinations  are  now  offered,  and  a  beginning  has  been  made  in 
the  gradation  of  pupils  and  of  courses.  The  educational  idea  is  so 
fully  adopted  by  association  leaders  that  psychology,  the  study  of  ado- 
lescence, and  the  principles  of  teaching  have  a  place  in  the  curriculum 
of  training  for  secretaries. 

II.  The  Theory  of  Association  Teaching.  What  is  formally  taught 
to  these  60,000  pupils  ?  An  answer  is  not  easy,  for  there  is  no  absolute 
dividing  line  between  formal  and  informal  instruction.  Any  belief 
that  is  constantly  assumed  by  a  teacher,  though  it  be  never  formally 
stated,  acquires  the  force  of  positive  instruction.  Theoretically,  how- 
ever, the  associations  have  a  definite  poUcy.  If  we  divide  Biblical 
material  into  theories  (including  doctrine,  philosophy,  and  hypotheses 
of  criticism),  facts  (including  ascertained  knowledge  of  the  Biblical 
history  and  Uterature),  and  duties  (including  all  insight  into  the  uni- 
versal laws  of  spiritual  life),  then  we  may  say  that  all  Association  study 
is  intended  to  focus  upon  duties  rather  than  facts  or  theories.  The  aim 
is  to  bring  out  the  truths  that  are  vital  for  the  pupil's  character  and 
growth,  and  for  society's  well-being.  This  is  called  devotional  and 
practical  study. 

The  courses  vary  with  the  pupils.  For  boys,  stories  are  provided 
that  enrich  the  imagination  and  purify  the  ideals;  for  working-men, 
railroad  men,  soldiers,  sailors,  salesmen,  and  accountants,  more  or 
less  detached  topics  that  bear  directly  upon  personal  religion;  for  col- 
legians, courses  more  detailed  and  more  systematic. 


78  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

Courses  for  students  include  more  of  fact  and  of  theory  than  courses 
for  other  groups.  It  is  assumed  that  the  student  has  opportunity  for 
historical  and  critical  study  in  the  college  curriculum,  and  there  is  no 
intention  to  duplicate  such  study.  The  aim  is  rather  to  secure  the  daily 
use  of  the  Scriptures  for  the  purpose  of  personal  growth. 

III.  The  Results.  This  is  the  theory  of  all  Association  teaching. 
In  practice  it  has  contributed  materially  to  the  renaissance  of  popular 
Bible-study.  The  contents  of  the  Bible  are  being  learned  by  scores 
of  thousands  of  persons  whom  no  other  teaching  body  would  be  able  to 
influence  in  similar  measure.  No  doubt  this  study  is  somewhat  super- 
ficial; there  is  some  admixture  of  historical  error;  yet  a  mass  of  mental 
images  and  of  notions  of  unquestionable  value  is  actually  being  fixed 
in  the  minds  of  the  pupils.  Of  the  quickening  effect  upon  spiritual 
life  there  can  be  no  question.  I  have  witnessed  the  influence  of  devo- 
tional study  upon  college  students  for  too  many  years  to  have  any  doubt 
on    his  point. 

These  good  results  have  been  attained  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  much 
of  Association  teaching  has  been  managed  in  the  interest  of  a  particular 
theory  of  the  Scriptures.  The  text-books  decline,  it  is  true,  to  enter 
upon  critical  questions,  yet  some  of  them  are  built  upon  extreme, 
though  generally  unexpressed,  theories  concerning  points  of  critical 
scholarship.  Whether  such  theories  are  radical  or  conservative  mat- 
ters not;  the  objection  is  the  same. 

Further,  the  devotional  method  encovirages  the  teaching  of  dogmas, 
but  discourages  the  application  of  rational  tests  thereto.  An  inter- 
national secretary  recommends  that  college  students  spend  a  month 
each  on  such  doctrines  as  sin,  faith,  regeneration,  the  atonement,  the 
divinity  of  Christ,  etc.,  and  that  the  leaders  in  such  study  be  students. 
It  is  easy  to  see  whither  this  advice  tends.  A  student  leader  of  strong 
personality  will  be  filled  with  zeal  for  such  doctrinal  ideas  as  have  hap- 
pened to  stick  to  him,  while  the  average  leader  will  humbly  follow  the 
hints  that  come  from  international  headquarters.  In  the  latter  case, 
some  international  secretary,  whose  notions  may  be  either  ancient, 
medieval,  or  modern,  becomes  the  doctrinal  teacher  of  indefinite  thou- 
sands of  young  men.  I  believe  that,  for  pupils  of  proper  age  and  prepa- 
ration, more  rather  than  less  doctrinal  instruction  should  be  given  than 
at  present,  but,  obviously,  the  associations  have  not  solved  the  problem 
of  how  to  attain  this  end. 

IV.  The  Associations  are  Advancing  in  Methods  and  Point  of  View. 
There  is  in  the  associations  a  healthy  and  growing  sentiment  in  favor 
of  better  methods  and  a  clearer  understanding  of  the  practical  point  of 


INSTRUCTION  IN  RELIGION  AND  MORALS  79 

view  in  Bible  study.  It  is  coming  to  be  seen  that  the  once  dominant 
distinction  between  devotional  and  intellectual  study  confuses  the  pur- 
pose of  study  with  the  method  of  it.  All  real  study  is  intellectual,  what- 
ever the  purpose.  Inferior  intellectual  material  can  never  be  the  best 
food  for  spiritual  life.  The  unity  of  the  mind  is  axiomatic  in  education, 
whether  the  pupil  be  a  factory  operative  or  a  collegian.  We  must  there- 
fore re-interpret  our  classification  of  BibUcal  material.  Theories,  facts, 
and  duties  are  clearly  not  so  much  separable  kinds  of  material  as  points 
of  possible  emphasis.  Any  attempt  to  teach  duties  without  reference 
to  facts  and  theories  is  pretty  sure  to  result  in  somebody's  teaching  his 
own  particular  view  under  some  other  name.  The  duties  inculcated 
in  the  Scriptures  come  to  us,  not  in  abstract  form,  but  incarnated  in 
historical  personages  and  events,  and  some  degree  of  correct  appre- 
hension of  this  historical  element  is  essential  to  any  safe  teaching  of 
the  practical  aspects  of  the  Bible. 

Nevertheless,  the  associations  rightly  places  the  emphasis  upon  the 
practical.  Their  function  is  not  to  investigate  theoretical  questions, 
or  to  teach  theories  as  such,  but  only  to  use  for  practical  purposes  what- 
soever is  reasonably  certain.  While,  therefore,  in  some  respects  they 
may  lead,  in  others  they  must  follow.  As  in  the  past,  so  in  the  future, 
the  glory  of  the  association  movement  will  consist  in  zeal  in  good  works, 
and  in  a  peculiarly  ready  adaptability  to  the  practical  needs  of  special 
classes.  This  is  different  from  either  radicalism  or  conservatism  in 
matters  of  theological  dispute.  All  that  the  modern  movement  in 
Biblical  learning  can  reasonably  demand  of  the  associations  is  that 
they  shall  respect  sound  methods  of  ascertaining  facts,  and  recognize 
facts  that  have  been  reasonably  ascertained. 

The  last  Bible-study  prospectus  announces  a  course  that  will  com- 
prise a  study  of  "  the  main  facts  touching  the  history  and  composition 
of  the  Bible."  Such  a  task  is  one  of  exceeding  deUcacy,  and  it  is  doubt- 
ful whether  it  can  be  so  discharged  as  to  satisfy  all  wings  of  evangelical 
sentiment.  Perhaps  this  of  itself  is  not  a  too  serious  matter;  what  is 
really  serious  is  our  responsibihty  for  reaching  and  teaching  the  actual 
truth.  What  attitude,  then,  should  we  who  are  Association  workers 
adopt  toward  the  historical  movement  in  the  investigation  of  the  Scrip- 
tures? Should  our  position  be  conservative  or  progressive?  or  should 
we  dodge  the  issue?  "  When  in  doubt,"  says  an  American  humorist, 
"tell  the  truth!"  The  more  one  practises  this  advice,  the  more  its 
wisdom  appears.  Shall  we  dodge  the  issues  ?  No,  let  us  acknowledge 
that  there  are  issues.  Shall  we  take  the  conservative  or  the  progress- 
ive attitude?    The  answer  is,  let  us  tell  the  truth;  let  us  tell  all  the  truth 


8o  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

that  we  know,  failing  not  to  distinguish  between  what  we  know  and 
what  we  are  merely  accustomed  to  assume.  But  we  are  uncertain  about 
many  points,  and  we  are  not  competent  to  settle  them.  Well,  then, 
let  us  tell  the  truth  about  our  own  uncertainty  and  incompetence!  But 
will  not  this  policy  unsettle  our  pupils  and  endanger  the  spiritual  im- 
pressions that  we  desire  to  make?  Still  the  humorist  is  right.  Let  us 
tell  to  ourselves  the  truth-  that  the  spiritual  power  of  the  Scriptures  is 
at  its  highest  only  when  the  sacred  writings  are  apprehended  in  their 
genuine  historical  actuality. 


In  the  Public  School 

GEORGE  H.  MARTIN 

SECRETARY  OF  THE  BOARD  OF  EDUCATION,  BOSTON,  MASSACHUSETTS. 

I  shall  use  the  time  allotted  to  me  in  presenting  the  result  of  a  recent 
experiment. 

It  occurred  to  me  to  inquire  whether  the  pupils  in  our  schools,  with- 
out formal  instruction,  having  learned  no  precepts,  had  from  the  in- 
formal, occasional  teaching  in  the  schools,  from  their  own  thinking 
and  under  the  influence  of  their  homes,  acquired  any  conception  of 
moral  obligations  which  they  could  express  in  words  if  occasion  arose 
for  them  to  do  so. 

Accordingly,  I  asked  the  principals  of  several  grammar  schools  to 
obtain  for  me  papers,  from  the^  members  of  their  highest  class,  written 
impromptu  on  the  topics:  Our  duties  to  our  famihes;  Our  duties  to 
our  city; —  half  of  the  class  writing  upon  each.  This  was  done,  and 
they  were  sent  to  me. 

The  papers  treating  of  the  family  affirm  moral  obligations  not  only 
in  a  broad  way,  but  in  specific  applications  of  general  principles.  They 
specify  obedience  to  parents, —  honor  and  respect  for  parents;  respect 
for  the  older  brothers  and  sisters;  care,  guidance,  and  example  for  the 
younger  ones. 

They,  without  exception,  declare  the  duty  of  helpful  service  for  all 
the  members  of  the  family,  and  they  specify  a  great  variety  of  ways  in 
which  that  service  may  be  rendered.  They  speak  of  present  obliga- 
tions, but  many  of  them  speak  of  their  duty  to  assist  as  becoming  later 
a  duty  to  support  when  their  parents  are  old. 

The  papers  from  one  school  dwelt  with  special  emphasis  upon  the 
duty  to  be  cheerful  in  the  home,  to  carry  sunshine,  and  to  be  kind  in 
speech.  These  papers  are  not  cold  statements  of  obligation.  They 
are  warm  with  filial  regard  and  love.     They  dwell  at  length  upon  the 


INSTRUCTION  IN  RELIGION  AND  MORALS  8i 

love  of  their  parents  for  them,  the  sacrifices  in  their  behalf  in  their  in- 
fancy and  later  Hfe,  and  they  see  their  own  obligations  in  the  nature 
of  recognition  and  return  for  what  they  have  received. 

The  other  papers,  treating  of  civic  duties,  deal  with  the  subject  in 
a  similar  way.  The  children  dwell  at  length  upon  what  the  city  has 
done  for  them  in  its  protection  and  care.  They  would,  by  their  orderly 
conduct  on  the  street,  by  their  scrupulous  care  of  public  property,  by 
their  efforts  to  keep  the  streets  and  sidewalks  clean,  and  their  own  home 
premises  neat,  try  to  show  their  appreciation  of  what  they  have  received. 

They  are  proud  of  their  city,  and  would  do  nothing  to  dishonor  it. 
They  would  speak  well  of  it.  They  think  that  when  the  time  comes 
they  should  vote,  and  vote  for  good  men,  and  should  meet  their  share 
of  the  pubUc  expense. 

Such,  in  brief,  is  the  result  of  my  experiment.  It  satisfied  me  that 
our  American  children,  in  the  process  of  being  educated  in  schools, 
said  by  some  to  be  devoid  of  moral  instruction,  schools  affirmed  by 
some  to  be  breeding  places  for  unmoral  or  immoral  character,  are  ac- 
quiring ideas  of  moral  obHgation  sufficient,  if  put  into  practice  in  daily 
living,  to  make  them  safe,  useful,  and  honorable  members  of  society. 
We  have  no  right  to  ask  for  more,  and  I  have  never  seen  any  scheme 
of  formal  instruction  which'seemed  to  me  likely  to  accomplish  so  much. 

Papers  on  Moral  Duties,  Prepared  by  High  School  Students 
A.    our  duties  to  our  families 

I  am  the  eldest  daughter.  In  the  family  there  are  four  children 
younger,  and  it  seems  to  me  now,  and  I  think  it  will  always  seem,  that  I 
owe  more  to  my  family  than  any  of  the  younger  children.  I  was  born 
in  Russia,  and  came  to  America  when  I  was  about  two  years  old. 

My  first  and  greatest  duty  is  to  serve  them  as  they  have  served  me, 
to  have  the  same  feelings  concerning  the  bringing  up  of  the  younger 
children,  and  that  of  making  as  cheerful  a  home  as  I  have  had.-  The 
great  aim  in  my  life  is  to  repay  my  parents  by  every  possible  kindness. 
I  can  now  appreciate  the  trouble  that  they  had  in  bringing  me  up  and 
in  putting  me  on  my  feet  and  in  sending  me  to  school.  After  I  gradu- 
ate from  school  it  is  my  duty  to  help  make  a  living  so  that  my  parents 
need  not  struggle  so  hard  to  keep  us  in  a  comfortable  condition. 

Their  sending  me  to  school  has  taught  me  things  I  shall  never  forget. 
I  cannot  tell  anybody  what  the  teacher  and  school  has  done  for  me. 
I  can  certainly  say  that  the  teachers  come  next  to  my  parents.  Besides 
book  knowledge,  I  have  learned  in  school  to  be  good,  to  be  honest,  to 
obey,  in  fact,  to  do  many  things  that  help  build  a  noble  character. 
This  is  the  ninth  year  I  have  been  to  school,  and  every  day  I  learn 
more  and  more.  I  simply  cannot  express  my  gratitude  for  my  school 
opportunities. 


82  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

Every  man  has  a  duty  to  his  family,  and  that  is  to  repay  them  as 
they  have  served  him.  A  man's  life  depends  wholly  on  how  he  was 
brought  up  by  his  parents  and  famihes.  I  think  the  most  ignorant 
people  want  their  sons  and  daughters  to  be  good,  to  do  good.  Above 
all  we  should  be  helpful  in  every  way  when  our  parents  are  old  and 
feeble  and  depend  on  their  children  for  all  they  need  as  their  children 
have  depended  on  them  in  childhood. 

B.     OUR  DUTIES  TO  OUR  CITY 

Our  duties  to  our  city  are  to  do. what  we  know  is  right,  and  to  do 
all  that  we  can  to  beautify  it  and  make  it  better.  We  should  not  walk 
on  the  lawns  of  our  private  houses  or  on  the  grass  in  our  parks  and  pub- 
lic gardens  which  were  laid  for  our  benefit.  We  should  not  kill  or  annoy 
in  any  way  the  little  gray  squirrels  of  which  there  are  so  many  in  our 
city,  and  we  should  do  all  that  we  can  to  tame  them  and  feed  them 
so  that  they  will  stay  with  us. 

A  most  important  duty  is  to  abide  by  the  laws  of  the  city,  not  to  ride 
our  wheels  on  the  sidewalks,  nor  to  drive  the  automobiles  and  motor 
cars  above  the  speed  limit,  and  this  last  is  a  most  important  law  and  one 
that  is  violated  very  often.  A  great  many  people  run  their  automo- 
biles faster  than  the  law  allows,  and  many  accidents  happen  because 
of  their  recklessness. 

We  should  '  be  careful  not  to  annoy  our  citizens  by  our  playing ; 
we  should  try  not  to  break  any  windows  with  our  balls,  although  now 
and  then  a  ball  badly  thrown  will  go  through  a  pane  of  glass.  Then, 
too,  with  winter  coming,  we  must  be  careful  not  to  hit  any  one  with  a 
snowball,  and  we  must  keep  the  snow  off  of  our  sidewalks,  and  the  ice 
well  covered  with  ashes  or  gravel  so  that  people  can  walk  about  more 
easily  and  safely.     If  every  one  did  that,  there  would  be  fewer  accidents. 

There  are  a  great  many  more  duties  to  our  city  than  I  have  time  or 
space  to  write  about,  and  am  sure  that  if  everyone  took  pains  to  find 
out  what  they  were  and  did  them,  that  we  should  have  a  model  city. 


In  the  Preparatory  School 

REV.  ENDICOTT  PEABODY,  D.  D. 

HEAD  MASTER  GROTON  SCHOOL,  GROTON,  MASSACHUSETTS 

What  are  the  formal  things  in  a  rehgious  school  to  which  a  person 
of  another  religion  might  perhaps  take  exception,  or  what  might  be 
considered  the  characteristic  features  of  such  a  school? 

In  the  first  place,  there  are  the  morning  and  evening  prayers,  which 
all,  masters  and  boys,  and  anybody  else  who  is  connected  with  that 
institution,  attend.  Second,  there  is  the  attendance,  once  a  week  at  least, 
at  a  recitation  or  a  lecture'upon  a  religious  subject,  what  are  called  often- 
times "  sacred  studies,"  where  there  is  a  regular  curriculum.  Third, 
the  opportunity  that  comes  at  confirmation  time,  when  boys  are  pre- 
paring for  confirmation,  or  in  the  other  churches  for  what  is   called 


INSTRUCTION  IN  RELIGION  AND  MORALS  83 

"  joining  the  church."  Fourth,  the  chapel,  with  the  services  arranged 
especially  with  a  view  to  interesting  the  boys.  Fifth,  the  school  sermon, 
preached,  not  by  one  man  after  another  coming  along  from  outside 
because  he  is  a  famous  person,  but  preached,  as  a  rule,  by  the  man  or 
men  who  are  working  in  the  school. 

These  are  the  formal  features  in  the  reUgious  education  of  a  school. 
Now,  how  shall  they  be  connected  with  the  lives  of  the  boys  themselves  ? 

In  some  schools  there  are  prayer-meetings.  No  doubt  the  prayer- 
meetings  among  boys  have  been  productive  of  much  good,  but  I  think 
that  there  are  great  dangers  connected  with  them.  In  the  first  place, 
the  best  boys,  on  the  whole,  at  any  rate  the  most  sincere,  and  perhaps  the 
strongest  boys,  don't  know  how  to  describe  their  rehgious  feeHngs.  And 
then  when  you  get  a  boy  who  is  fluent  in  his  description  of  his  rehgious 
emotions,  the  danger  is. that  the  emotion  won't  hitch  on  to  conduct. 
The  danger  is,  that  bis  expression  may  run  far  beyond  his  experience, 
and  after  a  year  or  two  there  comes  a  reaction;  he  looks  back  upon  it, 
and  finds  himself  utterly  ashamed  of  what  he  said,  and  he  hasn't 
much  sympathy  with  the  rehgion  which  prompted  him  to  say  it. 

I  believe  that  a  boy's  religious  life  should  be  expressed  in  active 
service.  Near  every  school,  there  are  a  certain  number  of  people  who 
are  not  ministered  unto;  there  your  superfluous  energy  may  find  vent. 
Your  masters  and  your  boys  may  establish  missions  there,  and  boys 
may  teach  in  the  Sunday  schools. 

In  preparatory  schools  the  boys  are  usually  well-to-do,  and  they 
can  do  something  for  the  brethren  who  are  less  fortunate.  They  can 
have  clubs  and  summer  camps  for  them;  and  as  they  try  to  guide 
these  summer  camps,  and  try  to  help  the  boys  who  come  to  the  clubs 
or  come  to  the  camp,  they  have  got  to  live  the  right  kind  of  lives  them- 
selves.    That  is,  I  think,  the  particular  point. 

But  those  are  outside  things.  There  is  the  private  life  of  each  boy 
that  is  touching  the  lives  of  all  the  boys.  If  you  care  for  them,  believe 
in  them,  trust  them,  and  make  them  your  fellow-workers,  they  will 
respond,  and  the  older  boys  will  look  after  the  younger  boys.  And 
gradually  that  idea  will  permeate  through  the  school  among  the  younger 
boys,  and  you  can  be  perfectly  sure  that  your  school  is  rid  of  the  im- 
morality, and  the  dishonesty,  and  minor  offenses  against  morality, 
which  are  often  the  curses  of  boys'  schools. 

Then  there  is  the  influence  of  the  masters.  Of  course  it  is  perfectly 
clear  that  in  the  universities  you  cannot  require  that  your  teacherr 
should  be  religious  men,  but  in  the  school  they  ought  to  be  positively 
Christian  men. 


84  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

These  are  the  forces;  the  spirit  of  the  masters,  the  co-operation  of 
the  boys,  the  missionary  idea  permeating  the  school.  Those  are  the 
inside  spiritual  grace,  and  the  Bible,  sacred  studies,  and  morning 
and  evening  prayer  are  the  outward  and  visible  forms. 

When  a  schoolmaster  has  such  opportunities,  and  when  he  can  get 
such  fellow-workers,  I  do  not  see  why  he  cares  to  change  his  posi- 
tion for  that  of  any  other  man  in  the  world. 


In  the  College 

PRESIDENT  GEORGE  HARRIS,  D.D.,  LL.D. 

AMHERST   COLLEGE,    AMHERST,   MASSACHUSETTS. 

There  are  three  kinds  of  formal  instruction  in  religion  and  morals 
possible  to  the  college. 

The  first  is  instruction  by  regular  courses  in  religion.  In  college 
the  Bible  can  be  studied  from  the  historical  and  critical  points  of  view. 
The  teacher  of  to-day  need  not  be  cautious  about  modifying  precon- 
ceived theories  of  inerrancy  and  infallibility,  because  students,  for  the 
most  part,  have  no  cherished  theory  of  any  sort.  His  work  is  construc- 
tive, to  show  the  history  of  an  ancient  people,  the  growth  of  its  litera- 
ture, the  development  and  significance  of  its  ritual,  the  value  of  its  con- 
tribution to  true  religion.  It  is  important  that  educated  men  know  the 
Bible  for  what  it  is:  the  greatest  force  in  civilization.  A  curriculum  is 
deficient  which  does  not  include  the  English  Bible  as  a  course  of  study, 
to  be  mastered  as  any  history  or  literature  is  mastered,  in  scientific  and 
spiritual  apprehension.  This  course  should  be  elective.  The  fact 
that  every  college  has  students  who  are  not  Protestants,  that  it  has 
Jews,  Catholics,  even  Japanese  and  Chinese,  precludes  a  require- 
ment of  studying  Christianity. 

The  history  of  the  church  and  the  history  of  Christian  thought  are 
suitable  courses  for  colleges,  although  I  should  not  be  strenuous  to 
provide  them.  The  study  of  European  history  necessarily  includes 
the  history  of  the  Church  and  the  history  of  doctrine. 

The  history  of  Oriental  religions  may  be  offered  as  a  course  of  study. 
The  best  approach  to  the  history  of  Asiatic  peoples  is  through  their 
religions.  Indeed,  their  customs,  civilization,  and  government  cannot 
well  be  understood  without  such  knowledge.  Now  that  relations  with 
the  great  nations  of  the  East  are  becoming  more  intimate,  there  is  a 
practical  value  in  the  study  of  their  religions,  even  if  there  were  less 
truth  in  them  than  there  is. 

The  second  kind  of  formal  instruction  is  the  part  which  the  Bible 


INSTRUCTION  IN  RELIGION  AND  MORALS  85 

and  its  religion  have  in  other  studies,  or,  at  least,  may  have  and  should 
have.  The  Hterature  of  our  own  tongue  is  imbued  with  the  thought 
and  even  the  language  of  the  English  Bible.  Some  of  the  best  htera- 
ture is  partly  unintelHgible  to  those  who  are  ignorant  of  the  Bible. 
Shakespeare,  Milton,  Browning,  Emerson,  Arnold,  are  fehcitous  in  their 
allusions  to  Scripture.  The  classical  allusions  in  L'AUegro  and  Comus 
are  traced  to  their  sources;  why  not  the  Biblical  allusions  in  Paradise 
Lost  and  the  Hymn  on  the  Nativity?  With  Browning's  Saul  the 
story  itself  should  be  read;  with  the  Death  on  the  Desert,  the  story 
of  John  and  of  the  Gnostic  heresy.  The  nearest  book  of  reference, 
constantly  consulted  in  the  study  of  literature,  should  be  the  Bible. 
Why  should  not  portions  of  the  Bible  be  included  directly  in  Hterature 
courses?  Why  should  not  the  subhme  prophecies  of  Isaiah,  the  de- 
votional and  nature-poetry  of  the  psalms,  the  meditations  of  John, 
the  theology  of  Paul,  the  parables  and  precepts  of  Jesus,  be  as  carefully 
studied  as  the  poems  of  Homer  and  Horace,  the  orations  of  Cicero  and 
Demosthenes?  The  Bible  is  not  so  sacred  as  religion  that  it  may  not 
be  investigated  as  literature. 

Another  study  includes  moral  instruction, —  philosophy, —  insep- 
arable from  ethics.  Every  problem  of  philosophy  has  a  bearing  on 
life.  What  is  philosophy  but  the  theory  of  life  ?  Nor  can  ethics  be 
separated  from  religion.  How  natural  that  such  courses  as  the  fol- 
lowing, taken  from  college  catalogues,  should  be  announced:  The 
Philosophy  of  Nature,  with  Especial  Reference  to  Man's  Place  in 
Nature;  Fundamental  Conceptions  of  Natural  Science  and  their  Re- 
lation to  Ethical  and  Religious  Truth;  the  Theory  of  Morals,  consid- 
ered constructively;  Ethics  of  the  Social  Question;  the  Problems  of 
Poor-reHef;  the  Family,  Temperance,  and  various  phases  of  the  labor 
question  in  the  light  of  ethical  theory.  And  these,  from  another  cata- 
logue, also  under  Philosophy;  Metaphysics  of  Ethics;  Objective 
Ethics;  Philosophy  and  Evolution  of  Rehgion;  Christian  Apologetics; 
History  and  Exposition  of  Christian  Doctrine. 

The  third  kind  of  instruction  is  the  religious  services  which  are 
maintained.  Religion  should  have  a  home  and  should  be  at  home  in 
the  college.  The  college  pulpit  is  a  throne  of  power.  The  great 
preacher  comes  gladly  to  the  college  with  the  message  of  truth  and 
righteousness.  The  student  responds  with  all  his  heart,  for  the  in- 
tellectual man  is  the  spiritual  man.  If  you  should  sit  Sunday  after 
Sunday  in  a  college  congregation,  as  I  do,  you  would  find  students  lis- 
tening eagerly  to  preaching  on  the  real,  human  Christ  and  on  the  service 
of  man  to   man.     Every   college  and    university   should,   if  possible, 


86  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

have  its  own  pulpit.  Daily  services  of  Scripture  reading,  singing, 
and  prayer  make  their  impression.  Students,  at  least,  become  familiar 
with  the  Bible  read  responsively  or  listened  to. 

Voluntary  associations  of  students  for  religious  culture,  for  Bible 
study,  and  for  Christian  service  are,  when  rightly  conducted,  of  great 
moral  and  religious  power. 

There  is  more  practical  religion  in  the  colleges  to-day  than  in  any 
period  of  their  history.  Cant  and  pretense  are  not  tolerated;  irrational 
doctrine  is  discarded;  but  faith,  hope,  love,  character,  are  exalted.  The 
university  and  college  should  and  may  encourage,  by  teaching  and  by 
influence,  sane,  healthy,  God-loving  and  man-saving  religion. 


/.     THE  COUNCIL  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


PRESIDENT'S  ADDRESS  ON  THE  WORK  OF  THE  DEPART- 
MENT FOR  THE  YEAR 
PROFESSOR  FRANK  K.  SANDERS,  Ph.D.,D.D. 

DEAN    YALE   DIVINITY   SCHOOL,    NEW   HAVEN,    CONNECTICUT 

This  is  the  third  nominal  gathering  of  the  Council  of  Religious  Ed- 
ucation, but  the  first  one  which  really  aims  to  execute  the  functions  in- 
trusted to  it  at  the  organization  of  the  Association.  There  have  been 
many  hindrances  to  the  proper  adjustment  of  its  work  to  that  of  the 
departments  of  the  Association,  all  of  which  have,  in  the  main,  been 
surmounted.  It  is  with  a  hopeful  spirit  that  we  assemble  to-day  for 
participation  in  the  session. 

Much  lack  of  certainty  has  been  expressed  in  regard  to  the  legitimate 
functions  of  this  Council  of  Religious  Education.  Its  objective  is  thus 
described  in  the  constitution  of  the  Association: 

"  The  Council  shall  have  for  its  object  to  reach  and  to  disseminate 
correct  thinking  on  all  general  subjects  relating  to  religious  and  moral 
education.  Also,  in  co-operation  with  the  other  departments  of  the 
Association,  it  shall  initiate,  conduct,  and  guide  the  thorough  investiga- 
tion and  consideration  of  important  educational  questions  within  the 
scope  of  the  Association.  On  the  basis  of  its  investigations  and  consid- 
erations the  Council  shall  make  to  the  Association,  or  to  the  Board  of 
Directors,  such  recommendations  as  it  deems  expedient  relating  to  the 
work  of  the  Association. " 

In  accordance  with  the  constitution,  we  are  to  exercise  the  impor- 
tant functions  of  determining  the  problems  of  real  importance  in  the 
field  of  religious  education,  of  organizing  the  forces  of  the  Association 
for  their  thorough  investigation,  and  of  the  formulation  of  the  results 
of  these  investigations  for  effective  use. 

The  Association  stands  for  the  declaration  of  ideals,  of  true  working 
standards  in  religious  education.  Such  standards  may  be  attained  only 
through  the  most  careful  and  comprehensive  study  of  conditions,  re- 
sources, existing  methods,  suggested  advances.  To  formulate  such 
working  standards  requires  the  co-operation  of  men  already  accustomed 
to  scientific  investigation,  whose  judgments  will  be  uninfluenced  by  the 
pressing  demands  of  production.  In  the  actual  work  of  any  depart- 
ment of  rehgious  and  moral  education  —  such  as  those  which  deal  with 

87 


88  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

the  interests  of  the  Sunday  school,  the  church,  or  the  schools  —  many 
methods  must  be  adopted  which  fall  far  short  of  the  ideal,  which  are 
merely  practicable;  but  there  is  all  the  greater  need  for  a  study  of  ideal 
conditions,  for  the  erection  of  a  standard  with  which  all  may  compare 
their  actual  achievment.  It  is  common  enough  to  hear  sneers  at  the- 
orists, yet  a  sound  theory  or  a  wise  working  standard  is  the  strongest 
assurance  of  a  rapidly  progressing  growth  in  effectiveness. 

While  we  of  the  Council,  therefore,  seem  to  be  restricted  to  the  op- 
portunity of  talking  or  writing,  rather  than  of  doing  things,  our  work  will 
be  of  supreme  and  fundamental  importance  in  the  proper  develop- 
ment of  the  Association. 

Many  obstacles  have  delayed  the  proper  organization  of  our  own  work. 
The  membership  was  not  placed  on  a  working  basis  until  September 
last.  Our  history  has  been  as  follows:  while  the  Council  was  clearly 
projected  at  the  Chicago  convention  of  February,  1903,  it  was  not  un- 
til nearly  a  year  later  that  twenty-six  men,  a  little  over  one  third  of  the 
contemplated  membership  of  the  Council,  were  elected  by  the  Exec- 
utive Board.  To  these,  seven  were  added  by  the  Council  at  its  meeting 
of  March  4,  1904,  at  Philadelphia.  On  July  20,  1904,  the  Executive 
Board  increased  the  existing  membership  of  thirty-three  by  adding 
fourteen  others,  bringing  the  total  membership  to  forty-seven,  which 
is  the  present  nurnber. 

In  connection  with  the  meetings  of  the  International  Congress  of 
Arts  and  Sciences  at  St.  Louis  in  September,  in  which  so  large  a  propor- 
tion of  our  membership  participated,  and  at  the  time  of  the  semi-annual 
meeting  of  the  Board  of  Directors,  it  was  hoped  that  a  good  opportu- 
nity would  be  given  to  the  Council  to  hold  a  session  for  the  initiation  of 
its  work.  Such  a  session  was  held,  but  the  attendance  was  not  repre- 
sentative enough  to  warrant  the  officers  of  the  Council  in  inaugurating 
an  active  campaign.  Many  helpful  views  were  interchanged,  however, 
and  an  impetus  given  to  the  work  of  the  Council. 

Since  September  the  Executive  Committee  has  come  to  the  conclu- 
sion that  it  would  refer  to  this  meeting  in  Boston  the  responsibility  for 
the  inauguration  of  our  important  work.  We  have  taken  pains  to  se- 
cure from  the  membership,  by  correspondence,  an  expression  of  opinion 
in  regard  to  the  problems  of  religious  education,  to  which  we  must 
first  of  all  give  our  attention.  The  suggestions  we  have  partly  formu- 
lated in  the  list  of  themes  for  discussion  submitted  to  the  Council  at 
its  preceding  session,  and  partly  presented  in  the  formal  program  of  this 
hour.  It  is  for  the  Council  to  select  from  these  the  problems  to  which 
we  shall  immediately  give  our  attention,  or  to  formulate  others  which 
shalllbe  more  useful. 


PRESIDENT'S  ADDRESS  ON  WORK  OF  THE  COUNCIL     89 

Of  our  membership  of  forty-seven  we  may  truly  say  that  it  repre- 
sents all  sections  of  the  country,  all  types  of  scholarly  mind,  all  helpful 
points  of  view.  It  follows  neither  denominational  nor  sectarian  lines. 
Its  one  purpose  is  the  attainment  of  religious  truth  and  its  effective 
presentation  to  men. 

During  the  year,  the  Executive  Board  has  classified  the  greater  part 
of  our  membership  into  six  groups,  the  term  of  the  first  group  expiring 
in  1905.  When  our  membership  is  full,  the  term  of  each  member 
elected  will  be  for  six  years,  and  ten  will  be  elected  each  year.  In 
these  and  other  details  the  proper  working  of  the  Council  begins  with 
this  gathering. 


THE    FIELD    OF   RELIGIOUS   EDUCATION   IN   AMERICA 

PROFESSOR  CLYDE  W.  VOTAW.  Ph.D. 

THE  UNIVERSITY  OF  CHICAGO,  CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS 

Education  is  that  process  of  nurture,  instruction,  and  discipline 
which  seeks  to  develop  the  character  of  the  individual,  and  to  fit  him 
for  social  service.  In  this  larger  conception  of  education,  which  is  be- 
coming standard  through  the  thought  and  activities  of  educational 
leaders,  there  is  no  difference  between  education  and  religious  educa- 
tion. The  purpose  of  religious  education  is  exactly  that  of  education. 
The  phrase  "  rehgious  education  "  is  in  use  for  the  reason  that  we  have 
tolerated  a  conception  of  education  which  limited  it  to  the  area  of  in- 
tellectual furnishing  and  discipline.  The  phrase  is  a  protest  against 
this  limitation.  Education  must  include  the  religious  and  the  moral 
elements  which  are  involved  in  any  true  development  of  character  and 
preparation  for  social  service.  When  the  word  "  education  "  comes  to 
be  commonly  understood  as  thus  inclusive,  the  phrase  "  rehgious  edu- 
cation "  will  have  served  its  purpose  and  become  obsolete. 

For  education  is  a  unit.  The  education  of  the  moral  nature  and  the 
education  of  the  spiritual  nature  are  not  separable  from  the  education  of 
the  intellectual  nature  and  the  education  of  the  physical  nature.  We  have 
recently  come  to  see  that  the  storing  of  the  mind  with  useful  information 
should  not  be  isolated  from  the  training  of  the  moral  and  spiritual 
nature  of  the  individual,  and  from  the  training  of  the  body.  It  is  not 
only  in  religious  circles,  in  churches,  Sunday  schools,  and  theological 
seminaries,  that  this  better  idea  must  establish  itself;  in  all  the  schools 
of  the  land  it  is  quite  as  important  that  it  should  prevail. 

The  fact  seems  to  be  that  this  idea  of  education  has  been  recently 
illuminated  and  pressed  by  educational  rather  than  by  rehgious  leaders. 
We  certainly  do  not  forget  that  the  impulse  to  education  came  originally 
from  the  church,  and  that  the  purpose  of  this  intellectual  furnishing 
and  training  was  to  increase  the  abihty  of  the  individual  to  promote 
religious  thought  and  life.  The  schools  of  America  were  originally 
estabhshed  as  auxiUaries  to  the  churches.  The  separation  of  the 
schools  from  the  churches  has  arisen  within  the  past  fifty  years,  partly 
because  of  the  divisions  and  controversies  among  the  ecclesiastical  or- 
ganizations as  to  how  the  rehgious  element  should  be  presented  in  con- 
nection with  the  common  school  work,  and  partly  because  many  people 


90 


RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION  IN  AMERICA  91 

outside  the  churches  were  dissatisfied  to  have  the  particular  theological 
dogmas  of  the  churches  taught  to  their  children. 

After  a  period  of  fifty  years,  in  which  this  separation  has  become 
more  definite  and  widespread,  we  are  now  called  upon  to  consider 
whether  we  really  approve  it.  Do  we  wish  to  see  this  separation  con- 
tinue and  grow  until  there  is  a  complete  divorce  between  the  churches 
and  the  schools  ?  Or  has  it  already  gone  too  far,  so  that  we  ought  to 
find  a  way  to  restore  the  original  union  of  the  intellectual  with  moral 
and  religious  training?  The  present  situation  is  easy  to  describe. 
The  sixteen  million  children  who  are  attending  our  public  schools,  and 
in  them  are  receiving  their  intellectual  equipment  and  discipline  for 
life,  are,  many  of  them,  failing  to  receive  the  religious  and  moral  equip- 
ment and  discipline  to  which  they  are  quite  as  much  entitled,  and 
without  which  they  will  become  abnormal  men  and  women.  It  is 
true,  our  Sunday  schools  have  a  nominal  attendance  of  some  eleven 
million  pupils.  If  this  large  attendance  were  real  instead  of  nominal, 
if  the  work  of  the  Sunday  school  were  continued  through  as  many 
years  of  the  child's  life  as  the  work  qf  the  day  school,  if  the  time  given 
to  the  religious  and  moral  instruction  and  discipline  in  the  Sunday 
school  were  equal  in  proportion  to  the  time  given  to  that  of  intellectual 
furnishing  and  discipline,  and  if  the  quality  of  the  Sunday-school  work 
were  as  good  as  the  quality  of  the  day  school-work,  eleven  million 
children  out  of  sixteen  million  would  be  fairly  well  developed  religiously 
and  morally.  It  is  a  fact  known  to  all,  that  there  is  no  such  equation 
in  work  between  the  Sunday  school  and  the  day  school.  The  eleven 
million  children  who  are  enrolled  in  the  Sunday  schools  of  America 
attend  irregularly,  and  for  a  fewer  number  of  years  than  in  the  day 
schools;  the  instruction  which  they  receive  is  largely  by  voluntary  and 
untrained  teachers;  the  period  of  instruction  is  not  more  than  an  hour 
each  week  at  best;  the  methods  of  instruction  often  lack  pedagogical 
wisdom  and  fullness  of  knowledge;  and  the  studies  pursued  are  often 
conducted  upon  a  desultory,  defective  plan.  The  religious  and  moral 
education  which  the  children  of  America  receive  is  therefore  inadequate 
in  quality  and  amount,  entirely  inadequate. 

The  present  agencies  for  religion  and  morality,  even  if  their  ideal 
were  the  best,  their  vision  of  the  opportunity  perfectly  clear,  their 
energy  unlimited,  and  their  methods  perfect,  could  not  accomplish  the 
work  which  now  requires  to  be  done. 

The'^question  arises.  Can  any  larger  part  of  this  essential  religious 
and  moral  education  be  accomplished  in  the  day  schools  ?  Our  public 
schools  are  not  indifferent  to  religion  and  morality.     While  no  pro- 


92  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

vision  is  made  in  them  for  specific  religious  instruction,  and  almost  no 
provision  is  made  for  specific  moral  instruction,  the  spirit  and  the  at- 
mosphere of  our  schools  are  generally  dominated  by  true  religion  and 
morality.  The  teachers  in  the  schools  are  nearly  always  persons  of 
religious  spirit  and  moral  character;  their  influence  upon  the  children 
in  the  schools  is  religious  and  moral  to  a  high  degree.  In  the  great 
majority  of  schools  of  our  country  the  Bible  is  regularly  read;  in  a 
number  of  states  it  is  required  to  be  read,  and  in  only  a  few  states  by 
recent  legal  action  has  its  use  in  the  schoolroom  been  forbidden. 

But  the  Biblical  history  and  the  Biblical  literature  should  find  a 
place  in  the  regular  instruction  of  our  public  schools,  at  the  proper 
stages  in  the  elementary,  secondary,  and  college  grades,  side  by  side 
with  the  history,  literature,  and  ideas  of  the  Greeks,  the  Romans,  and 
the  English.  Competent  teachers  to  give  this  instruction  should  be 
provided.  It  is  now  assumed  that  this  knowledge  will  be  gained  in 
the  home,  in  the  Sunday  school,  and  in  the  church.  To  be  sure,  children 
who  have  homes  where  the  Bible  is  taught,  and  who  attend  Sunday 
school  and  church  regularly  and  attentively  for  years,  will  acquire 
some  knowledge  of  the  Bible.  What  proportion  of  the  children  grow 
up  under  such  conditions  ?  The  Sunday  school  strives  to  give  a  knowl- 
edge of  the  Biblical  history  and  literature,  for  this  task  is  specifically 
assigned  to  it.  But  its  real  work  is  to  develop  the  religious  and  moral 
character  of  the  child.  The  Sunday  school  rightly  makes  use  of  the 
Hebrew  and  Christian  Scriptures  in  its  teaching  of  religion  and  morality. 
But  Sunday-school  teachers  seldom  discriminate  between  facts  of  the 
past  and  the  religious  teaching  associated  in  the  Bible  with  them.  It 
is  the  religious  and  moral  training  which  the  Sunday  school  seeks,  not 
the  exact  facts  of  antiquity. 

To  have  the  Bible  taught  in  the  public  schools  as  history  and  litera- 
ture would  be  to  give  the  Book  its  rightful  place  from  an  intellectual 
and  academic  standpoint.  Indirectly,  also,  it  would  allow  the  Bible  to 
exert  to  some  extent  its  strong  religious  and  moral  influence  upon  the 
student.  But  is  that  enough  ?  Or  should  we  have  that  strong  religious 
and  moral  influence  brought  directly  and  intentionally  to  bear  upon 
the  children  in  our  schools  ?  They  need  the  assistance  of  its  ideas  and 
its  inspiration;  are  they  not  entitled  to  them?  Shall  we  not  provide 
in  our  schools  specific  religious  and  moral  training  to  make  our  children 
true,  capable  men  and  women?  In  the  schools  of  Greater  New  York 
wise  provision  has  been  made  for  moral  training,  not  by  way  of  text- 
book instruction,  but  by  way  of  moral  ideal,  influence  and  discipline. 
In  other  places,  specific  moral  instruction  is  made  a  regular  part  of  the 


RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION  IN  AMERICA  93 

course.  In  the  Chicago  schools,  and  elsewhere  generally,  careful 
instruction  is  given  the  children  regarding  the  bad  physical  and  moral 
effects  of  alcoholic  liquors  and  tobacco.  There  is  no  objection  offered 
to  ethical  training,  scarce  any  to  concrete  ethical  instruction,  in  the 
public  schools.  One  of  the  most  important  steps  forward  in  general 
education  is  this  present  movement  to  make  the  schools  an  ethical 
force. 

The  way  is  not  quite  so  clear,  nor  the  steps  so  easy,  by  which  our  schools 
shall  also  become  a  religious  force,  founding  this  ethical  training  where 
alone  it  can  stand,  on  the  religious  instincts  of  man.  But  this  should 
be  done.  Morality  finds  its  only  adequate  imperative  in  religion. 
The  sense  of  duty  to  be  and  to  do  right,  the  supreme  aim  of  life,  the 
motive  to  live,  the  emotions  to  love  and  self-sacrifice,  the  enthusiasm 
for  brotherliness,  the  faith  one  has  in  the  universe,  the  hope  for  the  fu- 
ture —  all  these  things  constitute  the  religious  elements  in  men.  Life 
gets  its  meaning,  its  impulse,  and  its  joy  from  them.  Now,  these  vital 
elements  of  being  cannot  be  ignored  and  left  undeveloped  in  the  edu- 
cation of  the  child  without  producing  abnormality;  he  will  lack  that 
foundation  for  character,  and  impulse  to  social  service,  which  are 
essential  to  true  manhood  and  useful  citizenship. 

Religious  instruction  and  training  must  also  be  adequately  provided 
in  our  public  schools,  as  an  integral  part  of  general  education.  For 
(i)  if  this  is  not  done,  millions  of  children  will  be  continually  passing 
through  our  schools,  who,  because  they  receive  it  neither  in  the  home 
nor  in  the  Sunday  school,  will  obtain  no  religious  and  moral  training 
from  the  beginning  to  the  end  of  their  course  of  education.  It  is  a 
serious  thing  for  us  to  graduate  each  year  from  our  public  schools  a 
million  children  who  have  little  or  no  religious  and  moral  foundation 
to  their  lives.  Many  think  that  we  are  witnessing  the  inevitable  result 
of  this  neglect  in  the  prevalence  of  disregard  for  law,  crime,  the  pas- 
sion for  material  wealth,  lack  of  self-restraint,  the  violation  of  human 
rights.  And  (2)  adequate  religious  and  moral  training  should  be 
given  in  the  public  schools  because  the  educational  process  is  a  unit. 
The  several  elements  of  it  cannot  be  effectively  given  in  isolation.  Even 
if  the  home  and  the  Sunday  school  did  their  part  perfectly,  it  would  still 
remain  true  that  the  religious  and  moral  elements  must  be  interwoven 
daily  with  the  intellectual  elements,  or,  to  use  a  different  figure,  the 
whole  intellectual  furnishing  and  discipline  should  be  transfused  with 
religious  and  moral  meaning,  aim,  and  power. 

Now,  what  should  be  done  can  be  done.  Certainly,  misconceptions 
and  prejudices  almost  without  number  would  have  to  be  overcome; 


94  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

but  is  it  anything  other  than  misconception  and  prejudice  which  stands 
in  the  way  of  doing  this?  So  long  as  the  view  prevailed  that  religion 
consists  in  theological  dogmas  and  in  formidable  creeds  of  intellectual 
beliefs,  religion  has  been  properly  regarded  as  foreign  to  the  work  of 
the  public  schools.  But  we  have  passed  through  that  stage  and  reached 
the  better  one,  where  we  see  religion  and  morality  to  be  vital  forces 
in  our  lives,  essential  to  true  character  and  social  service,  an  integral 
part  of  education,  and  unobjectionable  to  all  except  those  who  are 
without  a  high  and  serious  view  of  life.  Few  would  wish  to  see  a 
theological  catechism  introduced  into  the  schools.  Few  would  wish 
to  see  the  particular  denominational  tenets,  over  which  the  churches 
have  fought,  introduced  into  the  public  schools.  Few  would  wish  to 
see  the  controversies  between  Roman  Catholics  and  Protestants  re- 
vived in  our  schools.  It  is  not  controversial  and  speculative  theology 
that  one  has  in  mind  in  advocating  a  religious  and  moral  element  in 
the  public  schools,  but  the  genuine  spirit  of  religion  which  gives  a  real 
purpose  to  life,  which  points  to  a  high  mission  for  the  individual,  which 
inculcates  brotherly  love  and  service,  which  develops  high  moral  ideals 
and  standards  of  conduct,  and  which  prepares  the  children  to  become 
intelligent,  sincere,  and  effective  citizens  of  America. 

A  danger  exists  that  religion  shall  come  to  be  generally  thought  of 
as  an  antiquated  survival  from  the  past,  as  an  extravagant  emotional- 
ism, helpful  only  to  the  few  who  appreciate  it;  that  the  churches  shall 
be  classified  as  social  organizations  of  the  wealthy  or  the  educated; 
and  that  morality  shall  come  to  be  widely  regarded  as  a  matter  of  ex- 
pedience, or  a  matter  of  business,  regulated  only  by  legal  statutes.  The 
situation  needs  attention.  Any  fair  reflection  upon  the  way  men  think 
and  act  reveals  the  tendency  toward  these  views  of  religion  and  morality. 
The  secularist  views,  the  commercial  standards,  the  pursuit  of  material 
wealth,  and  the  devotion  to  temporal  things,  are  indeed  characteristic 
of  our  age.  It  is  an  actual  condition  of  things  we  face.  The  task  is 
a  real  one  before  us  who  believe  in  reHgion  and  morality,  and  who  be- 
lieve that  religion  and  morality  should  furnish  the  standards  of  life  in 
all  its  aspects. 

The  radical  change  which  during  the  past  fifty  years  has  come  over 
American  life  has  brought  in  new  conditions,  with  new  moral  problems 
to  solve.  We  have  recently  passed  from  the  agricultural  stage  into  the 
industrial  stage  of  national  development.  Fifty  years  ago  cities  were 
few  and  small,  communities  lived  in  comparative  isolation  from  each 
other,  country  life  was  typical,  agricultural  pursuits  were  dominant, 
people  read  little.  Life  was  simple  under  these  conditions.  The 
simple  kind  of  religious  and  moral  education  which  had  been  devel- 


RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION  IN  AMERICA  95 

oped  to  meet  these  conditions  was  fairly  effective.  Now  a  transition 
has  taken  place.  We  have  become  a  manufacturing  and  commercial 
nation.  Our  many  great  cities  are  crowded  with  people.  Agriculture 
is  left  to  people  from  foreign  countries,  who  have  come  to  this  land  of 
opportunity.  Business  is  dominant,  and  on  a  vast,  complex  scale,  due 
to  the  rapid  development  of  railway  intercommunication,  mail,  tele- 
graph, and  telephone.  Great  national  wealth  has  been  developed, 
and  money  is  used  with  prodigality  in  every  direction.  The  enormous 
power  of  capital  has  been  learned. 

The  reign  of  bribery  and  graft  in  national,  state,  and  municipal 
politics  show  how  far  we  have  drifted  into  commercialism;  and  still, 
people  are  scarcely  aware  of  the  actual  conditions  of  things.  Have 
not  business  morals  and  business  ideals  almost  unconsciously  become 
standard  among  the  majority?  Many  highly  respectable  business 
men  conform  only  to  the  legal  test  of  what  is  right  in  business.  The 
Golden  Rule,  the  spiritual  reahties,  the  sacred  rights  of  humanity,  the 
moral  ends  of  life,  are  acknowledged  (it  may  be)  on  Sunday,  but  are 
found  to  be  impracticable  on  week  days.  Many  a  man  who  would 
like  to  act  on  strictly  Christian  principles  seven  days  in  the  week  suc- 
cumbs to  the  way  of  the  business  world.  One  man  alone,  or  even  a 
few  men  together,  cannot  change  this  current. 

We  must  face  squarely  the  present  facts,  and  discover  why  things 
are  as  they  are.  We  must  decide  vv^hat  our  ideals  should  be,  and  then 
set  ourselves  to  the  attainment  of  them.  We  do  not,  in  America,  lack 
■for  distinct  and  lofty  religious  and  moral  ideals;  they  are  our  heritage 
from  the  past.  But  we  do  lack  a  real  devotion,  a  real  self-committal,  to 
them.  We  preach  and  proclaim  them,  but  we  do  not  achieve  them. 
We,  too,  like  the  Pharisees  of  the  first  century,  and  like  the  men  of 
every  century,  "  leave  justice,  mercy,  and  faith  undone  " —  not  abso- 
lutely, of  course,  but  relatively.  Our  ideals  are  high,  but  practically 
they  seem  unattainable.  Therefore  we  need  such  religious  and  moral 
education  as  shall  give  strength  to  our  purpose,  and  guidance  to  our 
efforts,  for  the  ideal.  The  training  of  the  young  (which  we  call  edu- 
cation) must  embody  these  ideals,  must  implant  and  nurture  them, 
that  our  children  may  become  exponents  of  our  best  thought,  and  illus- 
trations of  our  best  conduct.  What  we  ourselves  are,  America  will  be. 
The  citizens  are  the  nation.  Bribery,  graft,  economic  slavery,  luxu- 
rious living,  crime,  professional  dishonesty,  can  only  exist  where  men 
either  practice  these  things  themselves  or  tolerate  them  in  others. 
There  is  no  way  to  efifect  righteousness  except  for  you,  and  me,  and 
the  next  man  to  be  rigliteous.  This  is  our  work.  We  acknowledge 
it.     Will  we  do  it  ? 


THE    CO-ORDINATION    OF    AGENCIES  WITHIN  A   RELI- 
GIOUS  COMMUNION 

REV.  WILLIAM  C.  BITTING,  D.D. 

PASTOR   MT.   MORRIS  BAPTIST  CHURCH,   NEW   YORK   CITY 

Among  the  more  important  problems  of  religious  and  moral  edu- 
cation is  that  of  co-ordinating  the  agenies  within  a  religious  commu- 
nion. Of  its  larger  dimensions,  affecting  entire  denominations  on 
national  or  sectional  scales,  we  may  not  here  treat.  We  confine  ourselves 
to  a  discussion  of  the  problem  as  it  relates  to  a  local  church,  whether 
in  village  or  city.  In  spite  of  these  narrow  limits  the  wider  aspects 
of  our  topic  will  intrude,  as  will  appear  later.  Even  when  so  confined, 
the  task  proposed  is  by  no  means  simple.  A  double  co-ordination 
is  necessary:  (i)  that  of  all  the  agencies  within  a  local  church;  and 
(2)  the  co-ordination  of  these  with  educational  agencies  outside  the 
church  — those  acting  upon  its  growing  constituency. 

I.  The  co-ordination  of  the  agencies  within  a  local  church,  (i)  A 
Need.  The  experience  of  intelligent  pastors  confirms  the  verdict  of 
careful  students  of  the  present  situation.  All  affirm  in  the  strongest  way 
that  there  is  a  need  for  this  co-ordination.  In  a  local  communion 
there  are  available  for  religious  education,  homes,  the  public  worship, 
the  Sunday  school,  societies  for  young  people  of  different  ages,  clubs 
for  both  sexes,  and  various  other  organizations.  So  soon  as  we  seek 
the  purpose  of  these,  we  discover  that  most  of  them  are  designed  for  a 
specific  end,  and  a  few,  perhaps,  have  only  some  vague  reason  for 
existence. 

The  noticeable  absence  of  children  from  public  worship;  the  great 
difficulty  felt  by  pastors  in  providing  a  church  service  that  shall  be 
helpful  alike  to  adults  and  children;  the  apparent  indifference  in  homes 
to  the  work  of  church  agencies  in  the  training  of  the  young,  or  the 
vagueness  of  ideal  and  weakness  of  method  even  where  the  sympathetic 
spirit  exists;  the  unconsciousness  of  any  co-operative  relation  between 
church  organizations  in  those  who  are  members  of  several  of  them, 
and  the  tell-tale  silence  in  public  and  private  concerning  complemental 
functions  for  these  agencies  —  are  some  of  the  irrefutable  evidences  of 
the  need  of  some  close  co-ordination  of  all  energies  that  come  under 
church  control.  Independence  in  activity  has  produced  not  only 
duplication  of  aim,  with  its  inevitable  confusion,  but  often  the  widest 
difference  of  purpose.     If  the  constituencies  of  these  separate  insti- 

96 


THE  CO-ORDINATION  OF  RELIGIOUS  AGENCIES  97 

tutions,  or  their  leaders,  or  even  the  pastors  of  most  of  the  churches 
in  which  they  exist,  were  asked  for  a  definite  statement  of  the  inter- 
relations of  these  agencies,  or  of  their  specific  and  unique  contributions 
to  a  clean-cut  ideal  of  rehgious  education  for  the  young,  the  very  question 
itself  would  be  a  surprise.  The  call  for  co-ordination  comes  not  only 
from  this  situation,  but  also  from  the  faith  that  believes  that  it  ought 
not  to  be,  and  that  it  is  possible  to  improve  it. 

(2)  A  Basis.  We  must  strive  to  clarify  this  cloudy  sense  of  rela- 
tion between  these  agencies.  Experience  proves  that  the  Sunday 
school  in  recent  times  has  been  the  chief  contributor  to  the  membership 
of  the  church.  We  are  not  able  to  say  that  such  contributions  are 
wholly  the  result  of  Sunday-school  work,  and  we  are  now  able  to  say 
that  our  modern  idea  of  its  work  is  far  from  making  such  contributions 
its  highest  function.  The  movements  in  this  department  are  such  as 
to  invite  its  co-ordination  with  other  agencies.  Hospitality  to  the 
thought  of  such  co-ordination  is  evident  in  the  rapidly  growing  sen- 
timent in  favor  of  the  grading  of  both  scholars  and  lessons,  so  that 
there  shall  be  co-ordination  of  the  truths  to  be  taught  with  methods 
of  teaching  them,  on  the  one  hand,  and  of  these  with  the  stage  of  the  pupil's 
development,  on  the  other.  For  a  long  time  it  has  been  recognized  that 
organizations  for  young  people  have  provided  both  for  impressions 
b}'  qualified  leaders,  and  for  self-expression  by  members.  The  newer 
visions  of  what  qualifies  a  leader,  and  of  appropriate  forms  of  self- 
expression  for  different  periods  of  life,  make  present  conventionalities 
obsolete,  and  open  the  way  for  genuine  co-ordination  of  leader  with 
members,  and  of  members  with  their  activities.  Honesty  compels  due 
recognition  of  these  evolutions  in  Sunday  school  and  society  life.  Even 
undefined  desire  for  co-ordination  is  part  of  the  opportunity  for  any 
effort  that  may  be  made  to  improve  conditions,  and  we  shall  find  far 
more  receptivity  to  intelligent  suggestion  than  some  of  us  anticipate. 
A  few  pastors  have  brooded  over  the  problem  and  attempted  to  bring 
order  out  of  chaos.  Their  work  is  yet  in  the  experimental  stage.  No 
one  claims  a  solution.  The  number  of  these  is  not  now  so  large  as  to 
attract  general  attention,  and  we  have  no  time  for  grateful  allusion  to 
exceptional  churches. 

(3)  Possibilities.  The  possibilities  are  attractive,  but  each  is  at- 
tended by  its  corresponding  limitation. 

(a)  A  true  idea  of  religious  education  may  be  made  the  inspiration 
of  every  local  church.  Unfaithfulness  to  ideals  has  not  been  the  fault 
of  those  who  have  been  most  active  in  the  agencies  of  which  we  are 
thinking.     Their  zeal  has  ever  been  the  chief  capital  of  Christendom. 


98  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

Religion  is  what  it  is  to-day,  because  of  their  earnestness.  A  truer 
ideal  is  the  chief  need.  Our  workers  will  sustain  a  fresh  and  more 
accurate  conception  with  an  enthusiasm  even  greater  than  they  have 
hitherto  shovvm.  This  is  the  very  first  step  toward  co-ordination.  The 
conception  for  which  this  Council  stands  is  now  the  possession  of  com- 
paratively few.  Popular  ignorance  of  an  adequate  idea  of  religious 
education  is  the  call  for  its  clear  definition  and  aggressive  proclamation 
which  we  should  answer  with  all  our  might.  The  general  theme  of  this 
convention,  "  The  Aims  of  Religious  Education,"  sharply  outlined  and 
brought  to  every  church,  will  help  every  agency  within  it  to  find  its 
special  place,  and,  therefore,  its  relation  to  every  other. 

(b)  It  is  possible  to  bring  the  local  church  to  feel  that,  without 
prejudice  to  other  functions  in  a  community,  it  is  a  school  for  religious 
education.  It  ought  to  be  easy  to  show  that  religious  education,  as  we 
conceive  it,  includes  evangelism,  and  that  the  great  purpose  of  life's 
multiform  activities  is  to  bring  every  human  being  to  self-realization 
according  to  the  norm  in  the  mind  of  God.  Church  energy  is  con- 
tributory to  this,  and  every  agency  takes  its  appropriate  place  when  this 
idea  is  received.  To  quote  from  Professor  Coe,  "  The  Church  as  a 
school  needs  to  be  systematized.  All  its  work  on  behalf  of  the  imma- 
ture is,  or  should  be,  educational:  it  should  proceed  from  the  develop- 
mental point  of  view.  There  should  be  a  definite  plan  for  the  child 
from  his  infancy  to  the  close  of  adolescence.  This  implies,  finally,  the 
organization  of  the  church  and  the  family  into  educational  unity." 
With  such  a  conception  dominating  church  activity  no  agency  within  it 
will  be  permitted  to  travel  the  path  of  a  wandering  comet.  Such  co- 
ordination would  lead  the  child-life  from  its  earliest  beginnings  in  the 
home,  through  a  series  of  impressions  and  normal  self-expressions  in 
church  and  other  agencies,  all  the  way  to  maturity.  Steady  advance 
from  one  stage  to  another  could  be  made  without  a  break.  The  king- 
dom of  God  would  be  within  the  soul  what  every  realm  of  God  without 
is  seen  to  be,  a  progress  from  blade  to  ear,  and  to  the  full  grain  in  the 
ear.  Confession  of  religious  Hfe  would  be  not  so  much  a  formal  as  a 
vital  process.  It  would  be  the  developing  expression  of  the  inborn 
religious  capacity  in  ways  appropriate  to  each  period  of  its  growth. 

(c)  An  inteUigent  pastor  will  bend  his  efforts  to  this  co-ordination. 
The  training  of  ministers  in  the  conception  and  principles  of  religious 
education  ought  to  be  required  in  every  theological  seminary.  The 
importance  of  this  cannot  be  overemphasized.  How  can  agencies 
within  a  church  be  co-ordinated  if  the  pastor  is  unequal  to  the  task? 

'  Education  in  Religion  and  Morak.     By  Professor  George  A.  Coe.     Page  288. 


THE  CO-ORDINATIOi\  OF  RELIGIOUS  AGENCIES  99 

If  the  course  in  the  seminary  cannot  be  lengthened  to  do  this,  let  it  be 
so  altered  that  the  study  of  some  of  the  antiquities  can  give  way  to 
preparation  for  meeting  existing  conditions.  Is  it  right  to  require  a 
knowledge  of  all  the  minute  sects  and  insects  of  the  past  until  students 
can  name  every  parasite  that  has  grown  upon  the  vine  and  its  branches, 
and  leave  the  future  pastors  unprepared  to  cope  with  problems  that 
they  will  face  immediately  upon  leaving  the  seminary?  Let  the  dead 
bury  the  dead,  but  let  us  be  ready  for  to-day's  battle.  Such  a  training 
would  save  our  coming  leaders  from  the  embarrassments  of  ignorance 
and  experiment  that  now  confuse  us  who  are  working  out  our  own  pas- 
toral salvation.  Yet  we  can  study  these  conditions.  What  excuse  is 
there  for  absolute  failure  by  any  of  us  when  we  have  so  much  literature 
upon  this  subject,  and  our  laboratories  already  prepared?  If  any 
pastor  would  gather  the  parents  of  his  parish,  his  Sunday-school  officers 
and  teachers,  the  heads  of  the  societies  in  his  church,  and  his  workers 
into  a  class  for  the  study  of  this  problem  of  co-ordination,  and  with  the 
book  from  which  I  have  quoted,  or  some  such  text-book,  as  a 
basis,  study  the  problem  of  co-ordination,  he  would  at  once  make  ex- 
perimental realization,  besides  ennobling  his  work  in  many  other  respects. 
These  three  possibilities  are  immediately  practicable:  the  spreading 
of  the  conception  of  religious  education,  the  awakening  of  the  church 
nto  the  consciousness  that  it  is  a  school  for  religious  education,  and 
the  efiforts  of  pastors  qualified  to  lead  in  the  work. 

(4)  Limitations.  The  limitations  correspond  to  the  possibilities, 
and  are  of  two  kinds,  the  permanent  and  the  transient.  To  the  perma- 
nent belong  all  those  factors  in  the  problem  over  which  we  have  no  con- 
trol, such  as  the  unique  work  of  God,  and  the  personal  freedom  of  hu- 
man beings.  We  turn  to  some  limitations  that  can  be  removed,  but 
not  without  wise  and  persistent  effort.  And  here  the  connection,  of  a 
local  church  with  denominational  and  interdenominational  enterprises 
must  be  taken  into  account.  How  is  such  co-ordination  as  is  here  con- 
templated to  be  realized  in  the  local  church  when  powers  outside  of  it 
determine  the  activities  of  its  agencies  ?  For  instance,  the  lessons  used 
by  most  of  our  Sunday-schools  are  fixed  by  an  interdenominational 
committee,  whose  work  is  not  controlled  by  the  conception  of  religious 
education  assumed  in  this  paper.  Again,  the  topics  for  the  meetings 
of  our  young  people's  societies,  both  senior  and  junior,  are  selected 
for  them  by  general  committees  that  foster  the  vmited  societies.  If  we 
were  to  introduce  other  illustrations  of  local  church  agencies  controlled 
by  movements  of  a  general  character,  the  situation  would  appear  still 
more  complicated.     How  far  can  these  general   interdenominational 


loo  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

enterprises  be  enlisted  in  the  effort  to  co-ordinate  the  local  church  agen- 
cies? How  near  can  denominations  that  control  the  activities  of  local 
churches  be  brought  to  such  a  step  as  is  here  advocated?  In  highly 
centralized  forms  of  denominational  government,  ought  it  to  be  impos- 
sible to  secure  a  study  of  the  problem  here  stated?  And  in  loosely 
organized  congregational  polities,  should  not  the  local  churches  feel  per- 
fectly free  to  co-ordinate  their  agencies  without  reference  to  outside 
general  movements?  These  questions  need  careful  study.  My  pur- 
pose is  accomplished  by  indicating  that  some  of  the  limitations  of  co- 
ordination lie  in  the  relation  of  the  agencies  within  the  local  church  to . 
general  denominational  or  interdenominational  movements.  Here, 
also,  let  me  repeat,  the  solution  of  our  difficulties  seems  to  lie  in  the 
direction  already  indicated,  the  diffusion  of  the  true  idea  of  religious 
education. 

II.  The  co-ordination  of  agencies  within  a  church  with  those  in  the 
same  community  outside  of  it.  Among  these  may  be  named  the  public 
school,  the  library,  the  various  clubs  for  boys  and  girls.  All  these  shape 
young  life.  If  we  may  not  bring  the  private  and  state  schools  to  our 
idea  of  religious  education,  we  can  adjust  the  agencies  within  the  church 
to  these  energies  that  lie  outside.  We  can  do  this  by  pointing  out  to 
the  boys  and  girls  the  essentially  moral  value  of  their  training  in  other 
schools.  We  should  make  them  see  and  feel  that  the  use  of  opportunity, 
neatness,  promptness,  honor,  sincerity,  and  all  the  other  traits  of  charac- 
ter developed  by  the  state  school,  are  essentially  religious.  We  must 
bring  them  to  see  that  the  exercise  of  these  in  specifically  religious  realms 
will  yield  even  nobler  results  than  they  produce  in  the  sphere  of  pure 
intellectuality.  We  should  make  our  methods  in  church  agencies  as 
rational  and  self-commending  to  the  boy  and  girl  as  are  those  of  the 
state  school.  The  personality  of  the  teacher,  the  genuineness  of  the 
methods  of  study,  ought  to  match  those  in  the  day  school.  The  fact  of 
the  unity  of  education  makes  our  problem  severe.  All  education  has  a 
religious  value,  and  all  religion  should  have  an  educational  value.  Now 
what  happens  to  the  student  who  belongs  to  both  the  week-day  and 
Sunday  schools  ?  He  compares  equipment,  the  competence  of  teachers, 
the  methods  of  study,  the  results  of  methods,  and  grades  them,  indeed 
degrades  one  or  the  other.  We  cannot  expect  him  to  co-ordinate  the 
two  agencies.  We  must  articulate  them  for  him.  We  are  bound  by 
every  consideration  that  affects  maturity  to  prevent  impressions  which, 
though  vague  in  the  beginning,  grow  into  clearness  as  the  child  grows, 
and  at  last  find  expression  in  the  false  opinion,  spoken  or  acted,  that 
religious  education  is  one  thing  and  general  education  is  another  and  a 


THE  CO-ORDINATION  OF  RELIGIOUS  AGENCIES         loi 

far  superior  thing.  True  educational  methods  in  the  use  of  our  church 
agencies  will  go  far  towards  preventing  this  harmful  mistake.  The 
neglect  of  such  methods  is  largely  responsible  for  the  disparity  of  re- 
sults in  the  two  realms  which  the  boy  only  feels  at  first,  but  at  last 
clearly  defines  to  himself.  Let  us  not  neglect  any  opportunity  com- 
patible with  the  rights  of  all  citizens  to  influence  the  instruction  and 
methods  of  the  state  schools.  Surely,  Christians  have  some  rights 
which  they  did  not  surrender  when  they  made  and  guaranteed  the  re- 
ligious freedom  of  their  state  institutions.  Nevertheless,  the  chief 
direction  in  which  we  must  now  look  for  the  co-ordination  here  advo- 
cated must  be  in  the  uplifting  of  the  educational  value  of  our  church 
agencies  so  that  in  this  respect  they  will  be  recognized  as  not  a  whit  be- 
hind those  of  the  state  schools.  That  was  a  tremendous  question  lately 
put  to  the  writer  by  a  college  sophomore,  who  is  thinking  of  entering  the 
ministry:  "  Can  I  take  the  whole  of  my  selfhood  with  me  into  the  min- 
istry?" He  was  urged  not  to  enter  it  otherwise.  Investigation  into 
the  origin  of  his  question  took  us  back  into  this  very  lack  of  co-ordination 
of  his  church  training  with  his  other  educational  experiences.  Said  an- 
other, a  freshman,  from  a  high-class  preparatory  school,  with  his  first 
conscious  shock  from  the  disparity  of  methods  and  results  in  these  two 
spheres:  "  I  stand  for  the  thing  for  which  the  church  stands,  but  not 
for  all  the  methods  by  which  the  church  stands  for  it."  Is  there  no 
way  of  saving  our  young  men  and  women  from  such  questions  and  con- 
clusions?    If  there  is,  let  us  find  it. 

III.  In  conclusion,  I  would  suggest  that  the  Council  of  the  Reli- 
gious Education  Association  appoint  a  committee  to  investigate  this  en- 
tire matter.  A  scientific  study  of  the  situation,  an  accurate  description 
of  it,  would  surely  arouse  a  widespread  interest  in  improving  it.  No 
more  practical  work  could  be  undertaken  at  this  time,  none  which 
would  more  plainly  justify  the  existence  of  the  Association.  Out  of 
such  a  study  would  grow  suggestions  of  the  most  practical  kind.  Hun- 
dreds of  our  most  intelligent  ministerial  and  lay  workers  face  the  prob- 
lem daily,  and  long  for  some  light  upon  it.  Even  where  the  problem 
is  not  so  sorely  pressing  there  are  dim  misgivings  as  to  the  efficiency 
of  present  prevailing  methods.  And  yet  more  loud  is  the  call  to  awaken 
those  who  see  no  problem  at  all,  whose  satisfaction  with  present  con- 
ditions is  the  complaisance  of  folly. 


WHAT  CO-OPERATION  IS  NOW  POSSIBLE  IN  RELIGIOUS 

EDUCATION    BETWEEN    ROMAN    CATHOLICS 

AND  PROTESTANTS? 

VERY  REV.  PROFESSOR  THOMAS  J.  SHAHAN,  D.D.,  J.U.L. 

CATHOLIC  UNIVERSITY,  WASHINGTON,  D.  C. 

I  think  I  may  say  at  once  that  some  co-operation  is  possible  in  the 
matter  of  rehgious  education  between  Roman  Catholics  and  Protestants. 
The  general  sympathy  which  the  proceedings  of  this  Association  awaken 
among  the  former  is  a  fair  sign  that  we  hold  something  in  common, 
ideally  at  least.  A  common  aim  presupposes  and  calls  for  some  meas- 
ure of  co-operation,  however  circumscribed  it  may  be,  when  we  reach 
the  stage  of  execution.  Co-operation,  however,  is  a  very  broad  term, 
and  it  may  be  well  to  state  at  once,  clearly  and  frankly,  the  field  in 
which  it  seems  impossible  to  look  for  any  mutual  helpfulness  between 
Roman  Catholics  and  Protestants.  Religious  education  with  Catho- 
lics is  something  positive,  systematic,  and  exclusive,  in  accordance 
always  with  the  doctrines  and  precepts  of  the  church.  For  this  reason, 
it  is  impossible  to  establish  any  system  of  immediate  co-operation  in 
religious  education  with  those  who  cannot  accept  these  doctrines  and 
precepts,  or  the  authority  of  the  Church  by  which  they  are  maintained. 
Experience  has  shown  the  futility  of  intermediate  combinations  made 
up  of  concessions,  or  based  on  mutual  minimizing  and  sacrifices.  In 
the  matter  of  rehgious  doctrine,  everything  is  in  one  way  or  another 
essential,  or  may  be  easily  made  to  take  on  that  character.  We  should 
find  it,  therefore,  impossible  to  construct  manuals  of  religious  doc- 
trine that  would  satisfy  both  Catholic  and  Protestant  parents  and 
authorities. 

It  does  look,  at  first  thought,  as  if  we  ought  to  be  able  to  produce  a 
manual  of  morality  that  would  express  certain  principles  and  criteria 
of  conduct  that  have  long  been  looked  on  as  our  common  inheritance, 
either  from  the  Jewish  law  or  from  immemorial  Christian  experience. 
But  right  here  we  are  confronted  by  some  preliminary  questions  that 
are  vital,  and  that  must  be  frankly  answered  before  we  can  say  what 
ideas  are  to  go  into  such  a  manual.  What  is  the  basis  of  morality? 
What  are  its  nature,  scope,  sources,  sanction?  Shall  it  be  treated  as 
purely  natural,  or  with  reference  to  the  supernatural  character  impressed 
upon  it  by  the  Founder  of  Christianity?  Is  it  something  absolute,  or 
is  it  something  temporary  and  shifting,  adapted  always  to  the  actual 


WHAT  CO-OPERATION  IS  NOW  POSSIBLE?  103 

conditions  of  humanity  ?  Has  it  any  reference  to  a  hereafter,  or  shall 
its  imperative  norms  be  based  on  the  present  life  only,  and  on  the  dic- 
tates of  the  philosophers  of  the  day?  Roman  CathoHcs,  of  course,  be- 
lieve firmly  that  there  is  no  viable  morality  without  religion,  i.  e.,  with- 
out doctrinal  convictions  and  apart  from  the  sanction  and  co-operation 
of  the  Church.  They  could  not  accept  as  final  and  authoritative 
hand-books  of  morality  constructed  in  the  sense  and  temper  of  Theism 
or  of  an  artificial  and  colorless  Christianity,  without  a  foundation  in 
facts,  and  therefore  without  influence  over  the  hearts  of  man.  I  may 
add  that  the  large  proportion  of  Hebrews  in  the  public  schools  of  our 
great  cities  is  making  it  daily  more  difficult  to  provide  any  manual 
of  religion  and  moraUty  that  shall  satisfy  the  general  Christian  con- 
science and  not  offend  a  people  which  does  not  accept,  as  such,  any 
principles  of  Christian  belief  or  life. 

The  impossibility,  of  an  immediate  co-operation  seems  still  greater 
when  we  come  to  consider  the  Teacher.  The  teacher  is  the  necessary 
interpreter  of  all  things  taught,  the  very  pivot  of  the  school.  Whatever 
formulae  of  religion  or  moraUty  we  might,  hypothetically,  agree  on, 
would  have  to  be  explained  and  illustrated  by  the  living  voice  of  the 
teacher.  The  differences  of  beUef  would  surely  manifest  themselves 
here,  and  all  the  more  plainly  in  proportion  to  the  measure  in  which 
the  teacher  lived  out  in  his  person  the  doctrines  he  had  accepted.  The 
religion  of  the  Catholic  teacher  is  a  highly  authoritative  religion, 
whereas  the  Protestant  teacher  would  be  free  to  assert  an  absolute  right 
of  individual  assent  to  or  dissent  from  any  and  all  doctrinal  elements 
in  the  rehgious  or  moral  teaching  that  was  before  him.  The  Catholic 
teachers  would  practically  interpret  in  a  like  sense  the  doctrines  of 
religion  and  morality,  for  they  accept  them  from  the  visible  and  author- 
itative Church,  but  there  can  be  imagined  no  way  by  which  Protestant 
teachers  would  surely  teach  at  all  times  an  identical  system  of  religion 
and  morality. 

There  is  one  other  reason,  perhaps  not  quite  so  insuperable,  why  an 
immediate  co-operation  in  religious  education  is  impossible  between 
Catholics  and  Protestants.  I  refer  to  what  may  be  called  the  school- 
atmosphere.  In  our  modern  life,  for  many  reasons,  the  school  has 
come  to  stand  in  loco  parentis.  For  this  and  other  reasons,  we  believe 
that  the  entire  school,  in  all  its  elements  and  workings,  should  exercise  a 
continuous  influence  of  a  religious  and  moral  character.  In  the  school 
the  child  should  imbibe,  at  all  the  pores  of  its  spiritual  being,  the  essen- 
tials of  religious  conviction  and  moral  strength.  It  should  live  in  a  kind 
of  aura  that  would  subtly  and  unconsciously  permeate  all  its  faculties 


I04  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

and  impress  upon  them  a  certain  bent  and  coloring  that  would  pre- 
dispose the  child  habitually  toward  the  influences  of  religion  and  the 
moral  law.  In  a  word,  everything  about  the  school  should  be  calcu- 
lated to  evoke  and  confirm  those  natural  but  weak  germs  of  religiosity 
and  ethical  sentiments  that  are  in  the  heart  of  every  child,  but  only 
too  easily  get  crushed  or  crippled  amid  ruder  contending  forces.  We 
find  in  the  public  schools  too  marked  and  exclusive  an  attention  to 
the  material  and  the  temporal  interests  of  life,  the  purely  transitory 
and  inferior  elements  of  education.  We  are  still  very  un-Rousseau-like 
in  our  views  of  early  mental  formation,  and  believe  yet  that  the  child 
cannot  be  trained  like  the  lower  animals,  that  it  has  predispositions  of 
many  kinds,  and  that  inherited  traditions,  ancestral  religious  fidelity, 
the  venerable  Zucht  und  Sitte  of  centuries,  are  valuable  helps  in  the 
positive  and  negative  manipulation  of  the  child-mind.  I  might  add 
that  as  the  religious  sense  and  the  moral  temperament  grow  gradually 
in  the  child,  and  as  we  hold  both  intimately  connected  with  the  positive 
teachings  and  the  historical  experience  of  Catholicism,  we  deem  it  of 
utmost  importance  to  familiarize  the  child  from  infancy  with  the  in- 
stitutions and  life  of  the  Church,  with  her  models  of  conduct  and  faith 
and  with  her  wise  views  and  appreciations  of  many  things  that  have  a 
bearing  on  religion  and  morality. 

II.  But  if  an  immediate  co-operation  be  impossible  in  the  matter 
of  religious  education  between  Catholics  and  Protestants,  is  there  no 
form  of  mediate  or  less  close  co-operation  that  would  be  acceptable? 
As  a  matter  of  fact,  such  a  co-operation  does  exist  in  Germany  and 
Austria,  in  Ireland,  and  elsewhere.  The  schools  are  national  and  com- 
mon, the  pupils,  Catholic  and  Protestant,  attend  the  same  scholastic 
courses,  and  are  taught  by  the  same  teachers,  who  are  legally  appointed 
without  regard  to  religious  preference,  and  after  fulfilment  of  all  civil 
requirements.  But  the  religious  instruction  is  furnished  according  to 
the  expressed  wishes  of  the  parents,  by  ministers  of  their  faith,  at  fixed 
hours,  and  all  children  are  required  to  attend  the  instructions  of  their 
own  religious  denomination.  In  some  places,  as  at  Frankfort,  there 
are  occasionally  two  professors  of  history,  so  that  in  this  important 
matter  the  delicacy  of  the  child's  conscience  need  not  be  violated.  I 
mention  these  facts  to  show  that  in  places  where  the  political  and  social 
contact  of  Catholics  and  Protestants  has  been  and  is  very  close,  ways 
have  been  found  of  co-operation  for  the  common  welfare  in  the  matter 
of  religious  and  moral  education.  I  know  that  our  political  conditions 
differ  profoundly  from  those  of  the  Old  World,  and  that  compromises 
can  be  offered  and  accepted  and  worked  out  there  in  good  faith  which 


WHAT  CO-OPERATION  IS  NOW  POSSIBLE  '  105 

would  here  meet  with  great  difficulties.  In  all  those  delicate  questions 
that  belong  to  the  borderland  between  the  Roman  Catholic  Church  and 
civil  society,  her  supreme  authority  will  always  be  found  quite  moderate 
and  conciliatory,  bent  on  saving  the  essentials  of  Catholic  interests,  but 
willing  to  go  a  long  way  in  order  to  encourage  and  confirm  national  and 
municipal  concord  and  amity  in  all  temporal  matters. 

III.  I  take  it  for  granted,  however,  that  in  the  present  temper  of 
the  great  majority  of  our  American  people,  we  shall  all  have  to  go  on  as 
we  are  going,  thankful  that  there  is  nothing  in  our  written  constitutions 
nor  in  the  habits  of  our  people  to  interfere  with  the  natural  and  right- 
ful liberty  of  the  parent-citizen  to  educate  his  children  as  he  sees  fit, 
without  any  interference  from  a  doctrinaire  bureaucracy.  But  even 
amid  these  conditions  I  believe  that  much  can  be  done  in  the  sense  of 
co-operation  in  rehgious  education,  though  it  must  necessarily  be  of 
a  remote  and  preparatory  character. 

We  can  all  help,  within  our  own  lines,  to  bring  about  the  universal 
recognition  that  religion  and  morality  are  necessary  elements  of  a  proper 
education;  that  they  must  be  taught  from  early  childhood,  and  that  both 
represent  something  positive  and  permanent,  indispensable  to  the  wel- 
fare of  individuals  and  states. 

We  can  emphasize  our  many  points  of  agreement  among  the  broad 
and  fundamental  considerations  that  confirm  this  general  thesis  of  the 
great  need  of  scholastic  reform  in  the  sense  of  religious  and  moral  edu- 
cation. 

We  can  habituate  ourselves  to  recognize  a  common  peril  in  a  de- 
Christianized  American  soul  equipped,  as  man  never  was  before,  with  all 
the  powers  and  opportunities  that  our  mighty  state  has  called  forth  and 
developed,  or  rather  has  only  begun  to  call  forth  and  develop.  The  eyes 
of  humanity  are  fixed  with  a  certain  awe  upon  the  American  citizen 
as  upon  one  who  in  a  certain  sense  holds  the  secret  of  the  world's  future. 
Will  he  accept  and  teach  the  philosophy  of  Christ,  or  will  he  follow  after 
the  refurbished  secularism  of  the  past,  and  prove  unequal  to  the  splendid 
call  that  is  ringing  in  his  ears? 

We  can  teach  with  more  earnestness  the  common  and  traditional 
Christian  doctrines  concerning  God,  the  soul,  the  moral  law,  sin,  moral 
responsibiHty,  prayer,  divine  providence,  the  divinity  of  Jesus  Christ, 
and  the  traditional  character  of  the  Scriptures.  We  can  insist  upon 
the  worth  of  a  Christian  discipline  of  character,  even  for  the  affairs  of 
this  world,  on  the  sacredness  and  seriousness  of  human  life,  on  the 
Christian  constitution  of  the  family,  on  the  duties  of  parents,  in  general 
and  in  detail,  on  the  obhgation  of  a  public  worship  and  the  Sunday  rest. 


io6  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

We  can  instruct  ourselves  first,  and  then  instruct  others,  on  the  true  and 
solid  reasons  why  abortion,  suicide,  divorce,  corrupt  conduct  in  busi- 
ness and  politics,  inordinate  greed  of  wealth  and  distinction,  personal 
arrogance,  and  contempt  of  the  poor  and  lowly,  are  wrong,  and  con- 
ducive to  the  detriment  of  the  state  and  society. 

Finally,  we  can  beseech  the  Holy  Spirit  to  enlighten  us  all  more  and 
more,  to  bring  home  to  the  multitude  the  evils  of  an  education  that  tends 
to  forget  or  exclude  God  from  His  world,  and  to  confirm  human  pride 
in  the  false  persuasion  that  man  is  himself  the  sole  measure  and  end 
of  all  things,  that  good  and  evil  are  really  indifferent,  and  that  the  only 
law  of  religion  and  morahty  is  an  opportunism  that  borrows  its  criteria 
and  its  motives  from  the  actual  phenomena  of  society,  without  any 
concern  for  a  future,  a  judgment,  or  a  retribution. 


THE  BIBLE  AND  GOVERNMENT  SCHOOLS  IN  THE 
PHILIPPINES 

REV.  SIMEON  GILBERT,  D.D. 

FORMER  EDITOR  THE  ADVANCE,  CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS 

Is  the  Bible,  in  some  form,  either  as  a  whole,  or  in  some  appropriately 
chosen  body  of  Bible  Selections,  taken  from  both  Old  Testament  and 
New,  needed  in  the  new  system  of  pubUc  schools  in  the  Philippines,  in 
order  to  the  creation  of  a  duly  intelligent,  moral,  freedom-loving,  law- 
abiding,  trustworthy  native  citizenship?  In  considering  this  question, 
it  is  necessary  to  note  carefully  and  put  together  a  number  of  facts, 
among  which  are  the  following: 

There  is,  of  course,  no  one  who  does  not  feel  that  in  our  vast  new 
possessions  in  the  Philippines  we  face  a  tremendous  proposition,  and 
no  easy  task;  the  definite  aim  being  nothing  less  than  to  make  over  and 
to  make,  among  the  millions  of  native  peoples  there,  under  the  one 
American  flag,  a  new  nation. 

The  meaning  of  the  "white  man's  burden  "  we  are  certain  to  realize 
more  and  more.  Clearly  enough,  there  will  be  necessity  for  bringing 
into  use  the  most  elemental  and  potential  means  and  agencies  that  can 
make  for  personal  character  and  civic  manhood.  The  political  experi- 
mentation and  exploitation,  the  past  four  hundred  years,  ought  to  prove 
convincingly  instructive,  showing  not  more  what  to  do,  than  what  not 
to  do. 

To  begin  with,  there  is,  of  course,  no  question  about  the  principle  of 
the  entire  separation  of  church  and  state.  That,  happily,  is  fundamental 
to  the  American  government.  And  we  shall  stand  by  it  wherever  the 
flag  goes.  This  means  freedom,  protection,  no  special  privilege,  and 
equal  chance  for  all.  But  this  distinctive  American  principle  is  not  a 
bugbear  to  frighten  us  out  of  our  common  sense,  or  a  bugaboo  to  make 
us  silly. 

The  German  state  poUcy,  that  whatever  we  would  have  appear  in 
the  state  must  first  be  put  into  the  school,  is  exactly  as  pertment  in  the 
Philippines  as  it  has  been  in  Germany  itself,  or  in  America. 

But  as  to  the  school,  —  of  what  sort  must  it  be  ?  To  build  the  hope 
of  any  real  regeneration  of  such  a  people  on  a  basis  of  mere  intellectual 
sharpening,  ignoring  the  higher  relationships  of  the  human  soul,  and  the 
moral  imperative  of  spiritual  ideals,  would  be  equally  short-sighted  and 
futile. 

107 


io8  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

Then,  children,  over  there  exactly  the  same  as  here,  have,  as  children 
and  youth,  certain  natural  and  inalienable  rights  0}  their  own;  rights 
which  ought  to  command  respect.  Primarily,  there  is  the  right  to  be 
educated,  and,  in  order  to  do  this,  the  right  to  have  the  fittest  and  best 
educational  means  and  appliances  that  are,  in  the  circumstances,  possi- 
ble, and  especially  so  just  at  that  period  in  life  when  their  whole  nature 
is  peculiarly  open  and  responsive.  In  this,  if  not  new,  yet  newly 
acknowledged,  "  bill  of  rights  "  for  childhood,  there  lie  the  best  hopes 
for  the  future. 

Now,  there  is  one  Book,  which  is  the  common  book  of  all  the  Chris- 
tian nations;  confessedly  the  world's  supreme  classic;  the  master-light 
of  all  our  advancing  civilization.  It  cannot,  therefore,  be  otherwise 
than  that  such  a  book  must  possess  an  altogether  imique  educational 
value.  It  must  be  that  childhood  and  youth,  in  the  matter  of  their 
elementary  discipline  and  training  for  life  and  for  citizenship,  have  a 
clear  right  to  freedom  in  the  use  of  such  a  book.  And  just  now,  as  it 
seems  to  me,  this  natural  right  of  childhood  is  one  that  needs  to  be  more 
adequately  enforced.  Moreover,  the  appropriate  use  of  it,  in  some  form 
or  other,  by  the  agencies  of  the  national  government  in  its  comprehen- 
sive educational  enterprise,  for  its  own  sake,  is  also  a  right  too  plain  to 
need  argument. 

Nor  would  this  imply  any  "  establishment  of  a  religion,"  any  more 
than  did  the  immortal  ordinance  of  1787,  which  put  "hberty,  religion, 
and  education  "  at  the  basis  forever  of  the  Northwest  Territory;  or 
than  does  the  fact  that  the  President  of  the  United  States  takes  his  oath 
of  ofl&ce  with  his  hand,  if  not  also  his  lips,  on  the  Bible;  or  that  Congress 
is  each  day  opened  with  prayer;  or  that  Thanksgiving  Proclamations 
are  each  year  issued  by  the  President  and  by  the  governors  of  the 
several  states.  For  the  civil  authorities  to  do  anything  toward  the 
establishment  of  "a"  religion  is  not  at  all  the  same  thing  that  it  is  for 
the  state  to  favor  and  foster  that  which  lies  at  the  common  basis  of  all 
forms  of  religion. 

In  this  newly  acknowledged  "  hill  of  rights  "  for  childhood,  every- 
where, the  Bible  should  have  its  own  place  as  the  world's  supreme  classic, 
the  one  book  that  is  common  to  all  Christendom,  and  has  hitherto  been 
found  to  be  the  most  vital  and  dynamic  agency,  the  most  illuminating 
guide,  in  respect  to  whatever  is  best  in  our  modern,  especially  our  Ameri- 
can, civilization. 

For  the  government,  in  this  enormous  educational  undertaking,  to 
neglect  and  ignore  this  supremely  efficient  educational  force,  having  the 
plain  right  to  use  it,  would  be  like  leaving  some  strategic  point  of  national 


THE  BIBLE  AND  GOVERNMENT  SCHOOLS  109 

defense  in  war-time  unprotected  and  exposed  to  the  enemy.  So,  also, 
for  a  modem  Christian  nation  to  appear  to  be  either  afraid  of,  or  afraid 
to  use,  the  common  book  of  all  the  Christian  world,  would  not  be  to  the 
credit  either  of  its  wisdom  or  its  dignity. 

To  exclude  such  a  book,  the  common  book  of  all  Christian  nations, 
from  the  scheme  of  popular  education,  because  deemed  too  high  and  fine 
and  good  a  book  for  childhood  and  youth,  in  the  bright  and  formative 
heyday  of  their  educational  development,  would  seem  to  be  little  better 
than  cruel  trifling.  As  Horace  Bushnell  used  to  say,  "  The  Heavenly 
Father  knew  how  to  make  a  book  for  His  own  children."  If  so,  his 
children  have  a  right  to  freedom  in  its  use;  and,  for  just  the  same  reason, 
the  government  of  a  Christian  nation  has  a  right  to  authorize  the  use  of 
it,  in  some  form,  in  its  public  schools. 

Then,  too,  it  is  to  be  remembered  that  in  this  case,  if  the  children 
among  these  people  do  not  get  some  acquaintance  with  this  book  in  the 
school,  it  is  doubtful  if  they  will  get  it  anywhere. 

Wherefore,  the  Bible  —  at  any  rate  some  suitably  chosen  body  of 
selections  —  is  wanted  in  the  schools,  not  as  mere  ancient  history,  nor  as 
mere  moral  teaching,  nor  as  mere  philosophy  or  science,  nor  as  mere 
literature,  nor  alone  for  its  unique  spiritual  and  ethical  force  in  character- 
making,  but  exactly  for  what  it  is,  as  the  common  and  supreme  book 
of  all  Christian  nations,  and  which  has  shown  itself  to  have  a  power  that 
no  other  book,  to  anything  like  tbe  same  degree,  possesses. 

The  proposition,  then,  which  I  very  respectfully  suggest  to  this 
Council  of  the  Religious  Education  Association  is,  whether  it  may  not  be 
practicable,  by  proper  conference  and  correspondence  with  certain  most 
eminent  representatives  in  all  the  great  church  organizations,  including, 
of  course,  the  Roman  Catholic,  to  secure  the  appointment  of  some 
highly  and  widely  representative  committee  by  whom  some  book  of 
selections  from  the  Bible,  Old  Testament  and  New,  may  be  made, 
against  which  no  reasonable  objections  could  be  urged,  and  which 
may  have  provided  for  it,  by  the  proper  authorities,  its  own  place  as 
an  authorized  school-reader  in  those  schools. 

Rightly  undertaken,  in  a  spirit  of  the  broadest  Christian  fellowship 
and  American  patriotism,  would  not  reasonable  men  and  women  in  all 
parts  of  the  country  applaud  such  a  movement?  And  would  they  not 
instantly  recognize  the  eminent  fitness  on  the  part  of  this-great  Religious 
Education  Association  in  taking  the  initiative  in  a  movement  of  such 
far-reaching  educational  beneficence? 


WHAT     CAN    UNIVERSITIES    AND    COLLEGES     DO    FOR 
THE  RELIGIOUS   LIFE   OF  THEIR  STUDENTS? 

PRESIDENT  WILLIAM  R.  HARPER,  Ph.  D.,  D.  D.,  LL.  D. 

THE  UNIVERSITY  OF  CHICAGO,   CHICAGO,   ILLINOIS 

Some  propositions  concerning  the  university  and  its  responsibility 
for  religious  education. 

1.  Just  as  in  more  recent  years  institutions  of  higher  learning  have 
been  willing  to  assume  a  larger  responsibility  for  the  physical  education 
of  their  students,  so  there  seems  to  be  a  distinct  awakening  to  the  fact 
that  a  responsibility  exists  also  for  the  religious  education,  in  some  form 
or  other,  of  the  students.  This  statement  does  not  ignore  the  fact  that 
through  all  the  years  certain  formal  practices,  like  the  chapel  exercise, 
have  existed  ostensibly  for  the  purpose  of  rehgious  education;  but  it 
still  remains  true  that  in  a  new  and  larger  sense  institutions  seem  to 
be  recognizing  their  responsibility  for  rehgious  education,  whatever  that 
may  represent. 

2.  This  change  of  attitude  is  due  in  some  measure  (i)  to  the  eleva- 
tion of  the  study  of  Bibhcal  hterature  and  history  to  the  level,  scientifi- 
cally considered,  of  that  of  other  history  and  literature;  (2)  to  the  work 
which  has  in  recent  years  been  accomplished  by  eminent  psychologists 
along  lines  relating  to  rehgious  life;  (3)  to  the  fact  that  in  the  more 
recent  development  of  the  college  curriculum  many  subjects  relating 
to  all  phases  of  modern  life  have  been  introduced,  and  that  this  has 
made  possible  the  introduction  of  subjects  that  have  to  do  with  the 
religious  phase  of  life. 

3.  It  is  strictly  in  accordance  with  the  general  purpose  of  the  univer- 
sity to  take  part  in  work  that  has  to  do  with  rehgious  education,  in- 
asmuch as  the  departments  of  philology  and  literature,  history  and 
sociology  in  the  university,  likewise  the  departments  of  science  and 
philosophy,  ethics  and  psychology,  cannot  ignore  the  consideration  of 
those  questions  with  which  a  sound  religious  education  is  concerned. 

4.  The  university  is  confessedly  the  leader  in  the  community  which 
it  represents,  in  all  hnes  of  intellectual  inquiry.  This  must  include  the 
subject  of  religious  education,  inasmuch  as  this  particular  subject  be- 
longs definitely  and  confessedly  within  this  field. 

5.  The  need  of  such  intelligent  consideration  of  subjects  relating  to 
the  religious  hfe  as  a  university  or  college  only  can  furnish  is  clearly 
seen  (i)  in  the  abnormal  and  distorted   forms  of  religious    life  and 


THE  RELIGIOUS  LIFE  OF  STUDENTS  iii 

thought  which  seem  to  attract  large  numbers;  (2)  in  the  ignorance  or 
disregard  of  the  laws  of  religious  life,  which  results  in  the  giving  up,  for 
all  practical  purposes,  of  a  religious  life  by  many  persons;  (3)  in  the 
apparent  contempt  in  which  many  people  of  the  more  intelligent  class 
hold  the  lower  manifestations  of  the  religious  life  because  of  ignorance 
of  the  relations  of  this  lower  hfe  to  the  higher;  and  (4)  in  the  narrow 
conceptions  of  religious  subjects  which  prevail,  even  where  men  and 
women  in  other  matters  of  life  and  thought  exhibit  the  highest  intel- 
ligence. 

6.  Inasmuch  as  the  theological  seminaries  of  the  country  have  not 
been  intended  to  serve  as  laboratories  for  the  working  out  of  problems, 
but  as  training  schools  for  the  instruction  of  skilful  propagandists,  it 
devolves  upon  the  university  to  undertake  work  of  this  kind.  The 
problems  of  life  in  general  are  worked  out  more  largely  in  the  university 
or  college  than  anywhere  else,  and  institutions  of  higher  learning  have 
come  to  be  regarded  as  leaders  in  the  work  of  solving  problems  in  the 
various  realms  of  life. 

7.  The  university  should  offer  facihties  for  investigation  of  the  many 
phases  of  the  religious  life  and  of  the  many  questions  which  form  a 
part  of  the  rehgious  education,  (i)  because,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  a  large 
part  of  the  fundamental  work  necessary  for  these  investigations  is  already 
established  in  the  university,  and  it  is  a  question  whether  such  investi- 
gations can  be  made  to  any  considerable  advantage  outside  of  the  uni- 
versity; (2)  moreover,  there  exists  in  the  university  the  spirit  of  research 
without  which  any  efifort  of  this  kind  will  be  unsuccessful.  It  is  only  in 
the  friendly  environment  that  an  investigation  is  likely  to  be  prosecuted. 
It  is  for  the  best  interests  of  religious  education,  therefore,  that  the 
university  should  undertake  those  pieces  of  investigation  which  will 
place  in  a  newer  and  truer  light  the  fundamental  principles  of  education 
as  they  are  applied  to  the  religious  field. 

8.  For  the  sake  of  the  university  itself,  such  work  should  be  under- 
taken, since  the  questions  of  this  field  are  inseparably  connected  with 
those  of  philosophy  and  psychology,  history  and  sociology,  English  and 
modem  literature,  while  the  problems  of  the  great  fields  of  science  in 
every  case  resolve  themselves  finally  into  questions  which  are  more  or 
less  closely  connected  with  this  all-comprehensive  subject.  It  is  im- 
practicable to  separate  religious  thought  and  religious  life  from  these 
various  fields  of  inquiry. 

9.  The  study  of  these  problems  by  the  university  will  lead  to  three 
practical  results:  (i)  The  subject  of  religious  education,  and  indeed  the 
subject  of  religion  itself,  will  be  elevated  and  dignified  in  the  minds  of 


112  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

the  great  body  of  people  by  whom  perhaps  the  claims  of  religion  have 
not  hitherto  been  strongly  felt;  (2)  a  larger  respect  and  appreciation  will 
be  accorded  these  subjects  by  students  as  well  as  by  people  at  large,  be- 
cause the  problems  are  problems  on  which  learned  and  scientific  men 
are  at  work.  An  influence  will  be  set  at  work  to  counteract  the 
marked  tendency  toward  degradation  of  that  which  religion  represents, 
on  the  ground  that  the  religious  feeling  is  something  peculiar  to  women 
and  weak  men.  The  need  of  such  a  counteracting  influence  cannot  be 
denied. 

10.  The  university  may  likewise  offer  instruction  in  those  subjects 
which  shall  contribute  to  a  better  conception  of  religious  education. 
Following  out  this  policy,  (i)  it  may  encourage  schools  preparing  stu- 
dents for  college  to  provide  the  opportunity  of  making  preparation  in 
the  subject  of  Biblical  Hterature  and  history;  (2)  it  may  introduce  into 
the  curriculum  courses  of  instruction  adapted  to  the  different  classes  of 
students,  —  courses,  for  example,  for  undergraduates  who  would  choose 
this  subject  as  they  would  any  other  subject,  for  the  sake  of  a  liberal 
education;  courses  for  graduate  students  who  are  preparing  themselves 
to  teach  in  one  or  another  of  the  departments  concerned.  It  is  worth 
while  to  consider,  also,  whether  the  German  educational  usage  in  the 
matter  of  religion,  while  not  successful  in  all  particulars,  has  in  it  an 
element  of  value,  for  no  one  can  doubt  that  great  good  has  been  accom- 
plished by  this  plan,  and,  that  the  sturdiness  and  strength  of  German 
character  to-day  are  in  some  measure  to  be  attributed  to  this  important 
factor  in  the  education  of  the  German  youth. 

11.  The  duty  of  the  university  will  not  be  performed  unless  it  make 
provision  for  religious  education  on  the  practical  side.  To  this  end,  the 
university  should  constitute  itself  a  laboratory  in  which  there  should  be 
a  working  place  for  every  member  of  the  institution.  Religion  is  a  life, 
an  atmosphere,  and  the  test  of  the  theory  propounded  in  the  various 
courses  of  instruction  will  be  made  only  in  case  such  a  laboratory  is  rec- 
ognized as  in  existence,  and  the  facilities  for  work  in  that  laboratory 
are  properly  provided.  The  university  is  itself  a  life  and  an  atmosphere, 
and  this  life,  if  it  is  a  full  and  complete  one,  must  include  the  religious 

..element.  In  this  proposed  laboratory,  practical  work  should  be  con- 
ducted —  work  which  in  itself  will  give  occupation  of  the  kind  required 
by  those  who  take  advantage  of  its  facilities;  work,  also,  from  which, 
perhaps,  new  truth,  or  new  relations  of  old  truth,  may  be  discovered. 

12.  In  connection  with  this  laboratory,  the  university  should  fur- 
nish opportunity  for  continuing  the  religious  life  begun  at  home  by 
those  who  have  changed  their  residence  to  the  university  community. 


THE  RELIGIOUS  LIFE  OF  STUDENTS  113 

It  is  a  dangerous  mistake  for  men  and  women  entering  upon  univer- 
sity life  to  feel  that  they  may  for  a  period  throw  aside  the  restraints 
and  the  duties  of  their  former  life.  With  the  intellectual  growth  and 
maturity  which  the  college  life  brings,  there  should  be  a  corresponding 
religious  growth,  but  this  will  not  be  obtained  if  one  deliberately  re- 
moves himself  from  all  the  agencies  of  religious  influence.  It  must  be 
remembered  that  the  religious  thought  and  spirit  of  the  earlier  stage 
of  intellectual  development  will  not  suit  a  later  stage,  and,  being  in- 
sufficient, will  be  altogether  discarded.  The  responsibility  of  the  uni- 
versity in  this  particular  is  all  the  more  grave  because  the  home  is  far 
away,  while  the  church  no  longer  exerts  its  influence  as  before. 

13.  The  university  in  its  laboratory  of  practical  religion  should  en- 
courage the  development  of  the  altruistic  spirit,  for  this  is  an  essential 
part  of  the  religious  spirit.  The  life  of  the  student,  as  also  of  the  in- 
structor, is  confessedly  a  selfish  life.  The  best  corrective  is  to  do  some- 
thing for  others.  The  opportunity  presents  itself  in  settlement  work 
and  in  a  thousand  other  ways. 

14.  The  university  should  take  definite  steps  to  protect  its  con- 
stituency against  those  common  forms  of  vice  and  demoralization 
which  prevail.  The  dangers  of  temptation  in  a  large  institution  and  in  the 
city  are,  upon  the  whole,  no  greater  than'in  the  small  institutions  and  in 
the  country.  The  counteracting  influences  are  stronger  and  more  nu- 
merous. The  university  must  hold  up  true  ideals  of  life.  It  can  point 
out  the  consequences  of  the  violation  of  nature's  laws.  It  can  provide 
proper  forms  of  recreation  and  a  proper  atmosphere  for  recreation. 
It  can  exercise,  through  its  staff  of  officers,  a  strong  personal  influence 
upon  those  who  have  intrusted  themselves  to  its  care.  It  can  purge 
its  membership,  whether  in  the  case  of  students  or  of  officers,  of  that 
element  which,  by  example,  or  by  direct  influence,  is  deteriorating 
and  inferior.  It  can  place  itself  uncompromisingly  on  the  side  of  all 
that  is  good,  and  just  as  uncompromisingly  against  all  that  is  bad  and 
debasing.  All  this  it  must  do,  and  more,  if  it  is  to  serve  conscientiously 
the  interests  of  those  who  are  within  its  walls. 


MR.  ROY  SMITH  WALLACE 

GRADUATE  SECRETARY  OF  THE  PHILLIPS  BROOKS  HOUSE  ASSOCIATION  HARVARD 
UNIVERSITY,  CAMBRIDGE,  MASSACHUSETTS 

The  Phillips  Brooks  House  at  Harvard  University,  Cambridge,  is 
the  headquarters  of  four  distinctively  religious  societies,  one  co-operative 
executive  Social  Service  Committee,  and  one  large,  all-inclusive  holding 
corporation. 


114  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

The  Phillips  Brooks  House  Association  was  organized  "  to  unite 
members  of  Harvard  University,  who  are  interested  in  the  religious, 
philanthropic,  or  other  activities  which  center  in  the  Phillips  Brooks 
House.  Its  work  is  so  ordered  that  the  work  of  the  individual  organi- 
zations now  active  in  the  Phillips  Brooks  House  are  not  in  any  way 
restricted  or  interfered  with."  The  membership  of  this  society  is  com- 
posed of  the  memberships  of  the  various  constituent  religious  societies 
and  of  other  men,  who,  while  they  are  willing  to  stand  for  the  activities 
of  the  Phillips  Brooks  House,  are  not  willing  to  commit  themselves  to 
the  point  of  view  of  any  one  of  the  local  societies. 

This  Phillips  Brooks  House  Association  carries  on  all  the  activities, 
the  results  of  which  are  of  equal  service  to  all  the  societies.  For  in- 
stance, it  maintains  the  Freshman  Information  Bureau,  holds  the  fresh- 
man reception,  and  conducts  the  Fall  Conference.  Besides  this,  as 
soon  as  college  opens,  the  Association  canvasses  actively  the  freshman 
class  in  the  interest  of  all  the  societies  and  of  all  the  activities  which 
center  in  the  Phillips  Brooks  House. 

The  Association  itself  carries  on  directly  all  the  general  activities. 
It  stimulates  the  other  societies  to  carry  on  their  work  efficiently,  by 
holding  them  definitely  responsible  for  conducting  those  enterprises 
which  they  set  for  themselves  as  to  the  work  of  these  local  constituent  so- 
cieties. First,  we  have  a  Catholic  Club,  which  exists  to  care  for  the  in- 
terests of  the  Roman  Catholic  members  of  the  University,  and  to  increase 
the  good  will  which  already  exists  between  Catholics  and  non-Catholic 
members  of  the  University.  This  society  holds  fortnightly  doctrinal 
conferences,  which  are  for  Catholic  and  non-Catholics  alike,  and  social 
smokers  addressed  by  prominent  lay  Catholics  for  the  benefit  of  the 
members  of  the  society.  Second,  we  have  a  religious  union,  the  pur- 
pose of  which  is  to  bring  together  men  of  liberal  religious  thought  for 
the  discussion  and  expression  of  the  religious  life.  This  organization 
holds  meetings  fortnightly,  alternate  meetings  being  addressed  by  out- 
side speakers.  Third,  an  Episcopalian  Society,  the  St.  Paul's  Society, 
the  purpose  of  which  is  to  bring  Churchmen  of  the  University  into  ac- 
quaintance with  each  other,  and  afford  them  opportunities  for  work 
and  worship  agreeable  to  the  spirit  and  forms  of  the  Protestant  Episco- 
pal Church.  This  society  provides  corporate  communion  for  its  mem- 
bers, weekly  evening  prayer,  interests  itself  in  the  foreign  missions  of 
the  Church  and  endeavors  to  provide  workers  in  neighboring  Episco- 
palian parishes. 

The  Harvard  Christian  Association  is  affiliated  with  the  International 
Y.^M.'^C.  A.,  and  carries  on  most  of  the  work  which  this  organization 
lays  down  for  its  college  associations. 


THE  RELIGIOUS  LIFE  OF  STUDENTS  115 

The  religious  meetings  are  arranged  by  classes  and  have  a  very 
small  attendance.  Several  times  during  the  year,  however,  the  Asso- 
ciation arranges  for  outside  speakers  for  Sunday  afternoons.  It  also 
send  college  men  to  various  preparatory  schools  and  city  Christian 
associations  to  make  addresses.  The  City  Work  Committee  charges 
itself  with  supplying  workers  for  a  number  of  philanthropic  institu- 
tions. In  its  philanthropic  work  the  Association  provides  a  course 
for  the  study  and  discussion  of  city  problems,  conducted  by  the  resident 
workers  of  the  South  End  House,  Boston. 


Discussion 


PRESroENT  HENRY  CHURCHILL  KING,  DD. 

OBERLIN  COLLEGE,  OBERLIN,  OHIO 

The  first  requisite  of  all,  which,  if  fulfilled,  will  take  the  place  of  al- 
most all  else,  is  genuinely  religious  men  and  women  in  the  entire  teach- 
ing and  official  force  of  the  college  or  university.  Nothing  will  take 
the  place  of  this  essential.  Such  men  are  sure  to  determine  the  atmos- 
phere and  spirit  of  the  institution.  The  unconscious  influence  of  their 
association  is  always  at  work.  And,  on  the  other  hand,  the  most  elab- 
orate arrangements  for  religious  instruction,  without  the  backing  of  such 
lives,  will  count  for  very  little.  Nothing  so  certainly  brings  about  the 
deterioration  of  an  institution  as  carelessness  in  the  selection  of  its 
teachers.  A  few  compromising  appointments  may  easily  make  im- 
possible the  maintenance  of  the  institution's  highest  ideals  or  best  tra- 
ditions. The  spirit  of  a  college  or  university  cannot  go  down  in  its 
buildings  or  grounds  or  forms  of  organization. 

Hardly  less  important  is  the  prevailing  spirit  of  the  students  them- 
selves. The  democratic  spirit  of  a  true  college  or  university  itself  goes 
far  toward  moral  and  religious  training.  The  power  of  the  college 
life  to  bring  out  unselfish  friendships,  too,  is  invaluable.  And  the  per- 
sonal association  with  fellow -students  of  high  faith  and  character  is  of 
the  greatest  moment. 

The  presence  of  such  a  student  body  depends  upon  the  general 
traditions  and  constituency  and  atmosphere  of  an  institution  and  the 
moral  and  religious  strength  and  efficiency  of  its  faculty.  It  takes  time 
to  build  up  the  most  powerful  influence  in  this  matter  of  the  general 
spirit  of  a  college  or  university.  Much  will  depend,  in  the  first  place, 
on  the  spirit  and  determination  of  the  president  alone. 

The  moral  and  religious  life  requires,  too,  some  active  expression. 
To  this  end,  student  activities  in  this  direction  should  be  heartily  en- 


ii6  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

couraged  and  co-operated  with.  The  reHgious  Hfe  cannot  be  simply 
laid  on  from  above.  Every  bit  of  initiative  on  the  part  of  the  students 
is,  therefore,  clear  gain.  The  college  life,  in  the  nature  of  the  case,  is 
likely  to  suffer  from  some  degree  of  self -absorption,  and  any  line  of 
activity  that  tends  to  thoughtfulness  and  work  for  others  deserves  to  be 
earnestly  furthered. 

There  must  be,  also,  the  most  careful  respect  for  their  own  moral 
initiative  and  individuality,  for  the  inviolability  of  their  own  inner  life. 
We  cannot  ruthlessly  interfere  or  compel.  We  succeed  only  so  far  as 
we  bring  them  into  the  right  spirit  of  their  own  choice. 

Direct  instruction  has  also  a  real  contribution  to  make,  though  it 
cannot  be  the  main  dependence.  There  is  no  reason  why  the  Bible 
should  not  be  studied  frankly  as  a  moral  and  religious  book,  and  not 
merely  as  literature.  It  is  literature;  but  its  importance  does  not  lie 
primarily  here;  and  there  is  only  loss  in  pretending  it  does.  Objective 
historical  study  there  should  be,  no  doubt;  but  indirection  is  no  gain. 

It  ought  also  to  be  made  much  more  plain  than  is  usually  the  case 
that  the  ordinary  philosophical  courses  in  our  colleges  and  universities 
restrict  themselves  (legitimately  enough)  in  their  data  —  quite  setting 
aside  the  facts  of  revealed  religion,  of  such  a  line  of  personalities,  for  ex- 
ample, as  the  prophets,  culminating  in  Christ.  Their  resulting  infer- 
ences, consequently,  are  of  limited  appHcation.  The  results  of  the  phil- 
osophical inquiry  as  usually  conducted,  therefore,  will  come  con- 
siderably short  of  inferences  that  might  be  rationally  drawn,  if  all  the 
data  were  taken  into  accont,  including  these  greatest  personalities  of 
history.  It  should  also  be  noted  that  it  is  always  difficult  for  philoso- 
phy, as  prevailingly  intellectual,  to  do  full  justice  to  those  aspects  of 
Hfe  which  do  not  lend  themselves  easily  to  intellectual  formulation. 


AN    EXPERIMENT    IN    RELIGIOUS    INSTRUCTION    IN    A 

COLLEGE 

PRESIDENT  W.  D.  HYDE,  D.D.,  LL.D. 

BOWDOIN  COLLEGE,  BRUNSWICK,  MAINE 

By  religious  instruction  I  mean  the  direct  presentation  of  religious 
truth;  not  any  one  of  the  many  approaches  to  it,  or  substitutes  for  it, 
or  evasions  of  it,  like  the  Bible  considered  as  literature,  or  church  his- 
tory as  an  aspect  of  universal  history,  or  Christian  ethics  as  a  phase  of 
ethics  in  general. 

Obviously,  thei-e  are  difficulties  in  the  way.  It  cannot  be  dogmatic. 
An  average  class  —  for  example,  my  own  this  year  —  includes  the  Congre- 
gationalist  and  the  Universalist,  the  Baptist  and  the  Methodist,  the 
Episcopalian  and  the  Unitarian,  the  Catholic  and  the  Hebrew.  All 
come  with  views  that  deserve  to  be  respected;  principles  which  it  is 
the  professor's  duty  not  to  destroy  but  to  fulfil.     What  shall  we  do? 

In  place  of  theory,  I  will  give  you  the  result  of  an  experiment  I  have 
been  trying,  in  one  form  or  another,  for  some  twenty  years;  a  descrip- 
tion of  what  my  class  has  been  doing  for  the  past  month.  First,  I  drew 
up  a  syllabus  of  twenty  topics,  covering  the  vital  truths  of  religion, 
as  follows:  i.  The  facts  of  the  world,  and  the  possible  principles  of 
their  interpretation.  2.  The  conception  of  God.  3.  The  historic 
representations  of  God.  4.  The  presence  of  God  in  humanity.  5. 
The  literary  expression  of  religion.  6.  The  institutional  embodiment 
of  religion.  7.  Religious  aspiration  and  depression.  8.  Justification 
by  aspiration.  9.  The  answer  to  prayer.  10.  The  authority  of  duty. 
II.  The  inevitableness  of  sacrifice.  12.  The  nature  of  sin.  13.  The 
opportunity  of  repentance.  14.  The  assurance  of  forgiveness.  15. 
Rewards  and  penalties.  16.  The  future  of  the  world  and  the  hope 
of  immortality.  17.  Love  as  the  universal  solvent  of  social  problems. 
18.  Evangelism.  19.  The  mission  and  the  settlement.  20.  Religious 
education. 

One  or  two  of  these  topics  were  discussed  informally  in  the  class 
each  day.  All  sorts  of  objections,  all  kinds  of  questions,  were  invited 
and  considered.  There  was  no  disposition  to  dogmatize;  no  attempt  to 
be  orthodox;  no  dragging  in  of  extraneous  considerations  to  give  a 
semblance  of  proof  to  otherwise  incredible  propositions. 

At  the  conclusion  of  the  course,  each  member  of  the  class  was  re- 
quired to  write  a  thesis  covering  these  twenty  topics;  expressing  his  own 

"7 


ii8  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

views.  The  test  of  excellence  was  to  be,  not  the  orthodoxy  or  heter- 
odoxy of  the  views  presented;  but  the  rational  unity,  the  logical  co- 
herence, with  which  the  views,  whatever  they  might  be,  were  shown  to 
spring  from  and  develop  out  of  a  central  principle  common  to  them 
all. 

The  only  theological  difficulty  I  have  ever  encountered  was  three 
or  four  years  ago ;  and  that  was  entirely  my  own  fault.  In  reply  to  a 
question  which  involved  a  certain  article,  incorporated  into  the  great 
creeds  of  the  church,  and  based  on  passages  bound  up  in  the  New 
Testament,  which  modern  critical  scholarship  is  finding  it  increasingly 
hard  to  believe,  I  gave  a  negative  answer  in  dogmatic  and  rhetorical 
form.  The  Episcopal  bishop  of  the  diocese  very  properly  protested 
against  such  treatment  of  an  article  of  the  faith  of  his  church.  I  promptly 
presented  my  apology;  and  while  I  said  that  I  could  not  either  change, 
or  if  questioned  conceal,  my  view,  I  promised  not  to  introduce  the  sub- 
ject of  my  own  accord;  and  in  case  it  was  brought  up  by  others  to 
state  both  sides  of  the  matter  dispassionately  and  reverently;  as,  indeed, 
I  ought  to  have  done  in  the  first  instance.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  the  ques- 
tion has  not  arisen  since:  and  if  it  should,  I  am  confident  it  could  be 
treated  without  giving  offense  to  the  most  conservative.  The  deeper 
grasp  we  gain  on  essentials,  the  more  tolerant  we  become  in  both  direc- 
tions, toward  those  more  conservative  and  those  more  Hberal  than 
ourselves,  with  respect  to  what  they  deem  important  and  we  do  not. 

What  are  the  results  of  this  experiment  ?  What  may  we  reasonably 
expect  to  be  the  outcome  ?  First,  we  shall  get  the  greatest  diversity  on 
non-essentials.  The  Catholic  will  be  a  Catholic  still;  the  Unitarian 
will  be  a  Unitarian  still.  I  doubt  whether  in  twenty  years  of  such  in- 
struction, any  person  has  consciously  and  deliberately  changed  his 
ecclesiastical  relationships  as  the  result  of  instruction  and  discussion 
in  the  class-room.  If  they  did,  it  would  be  evidence  that  as  a  public 
institution  we  were  not  dealing  fairly  by  the  pupils  intrusted  to  us. 
From  those  communions  which  are  most  in  earnest  about  religion,  we 
should  receive  no  more  students,  if  we  were  suspected  of  the  attempt 
to  proselyte.  For  example,  this  year  I  received  the  following  state- 
ments of  beUef  in  an  essay  on  the  Ideal  Religion.  "  I  believe  that  there 
is  a  material  and  spiritual  world  created  and  ruled  by  God.  He  is 
the  Creator  and  all-powerful  Ruler  of  the  earth,  and  is  one  God  in  three 
persons,  known  as  the  blessed  Trinity,  the  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost. 
God  is  represented  on  earth  by  a  visible  head  called  the  Pope,  and  is 
present  in  the  form  of  bread  and  wine,  which  represents  his  body  and 
blood  in  the  sacrifice  of  the  Mass"     "  If  one  dies  in  mortal  sin,  he  is 


AN  EXPERIMENT  IN  RELIGIOUS  INSTRUCTION  119 

condemned  to  eternal  punishment  in  hell.  If  one  has  lived  a  good  life 
in  the  eyes  of  God,  he  is  rewarded  by  being  admitted  to  the  joys  of 
Heaven  for  eternity.  Between  the  two  is  purgatory,  where  the  soul 
which  is  not  yet  worthy  of  Heaven  must  suffer  until  repentance  enough 
has  been  shown,  when  he  is  admitted  to  Heaven." 

Inasmuch  as  the  majority  of  our  students  come  from  evangelical 
Protestant  homes,  the  greater  part  of  the  theses  took  a  middle  ground 
between  these  two  extremes.  The  following  extracts  give  the  view  of 
the  majority  of  the  class. 

"  God  is  the  one  great  purpose  who  stands  under  the  facts  of  the 
world,  and  gives  them  the  reality  they  have:  the  common  ground  of 
unity  between  nature  and  the  mind  of  man;  the  bond  and  basis  of  in- 
telligibihty  between  different  minds;  the  supreme  source  and  standard 
or  truth  which  has  a  ruling  power  over  our  minds.  He  is  the  unity  of 
the  whole,  the  purpose  which  works  in  humanity  for  righteousness  and 
truth.  His  position  is  to  the  universe  what  the  nation  is  to  the  citi- 
zens. He  includes  all  the  thoughts  and  acts  of  finite  persons  in  the 
unity  of  his  larger  thought  and  will.  He  is  the  assertion  of  the  common 
well-being.  He  is  the  spirit  which  gives  the  ideal  of  conduct.  He  is 
the  unity  and  purpose  which  binds  all  things  and  thoughts  together,  and 
makes  them  the  object  of  our  love. 

"  It  is  perfectly  natural  that  our  conception  of  God  should  have 
some  finite  symbol  or  representation.  Let  us  put  into  this  conception  all 
we  can  conceive  of  righteousness,  love,  and  truth,  let  us  put  into  it 
every  trait  of  moral  character,  every  quality  of  spiritual  grace,  and 
.then  search  for  the  man  whose  life  and  principle  has  revealed  these  human 
ideals.  We  find  no  other  but  Christ.  No  other  character  has  lived 
whose  teaching  and  Kfe  could  stand  such  a  test.  He  met  all  temptation 
with  the  consciousness  of  the  Father  whose  commandment  he  was  to 
obey  as  a  filial  duty  in  the  assurance  that  it  was  right.  He  accepted 
every  duty  and  relationship  of  hfe  as  an  apportunity  to  do  the  will  of  the 
Father,  and  to  bring  men  to  the  consciousness  of  their  relationship  to 
God  and  their  brotherhood  with  each  other.  Christ  is  all  of  the  divine 
nature  and  spirit  that  can  be  manifested  in  human  form,  and  therefore 
has  the  perfect  right  to  be  called  the  representative  or  Son  of  God. 
By  virtue  of  his  moral  and  spiritual  excellence  he  becomes  the  Mediator 
between  God  and  man;  and  if  we  are  unable  to  see  God  in  Christ,  we 
are  not  able  to  see  him  at  all." 

Some  one  may  ask,  "  What  is  the  use  of  spending  three  or  four  weeks 
on  these  topics,  if  men  come  out  with  the  same  views  as  those  with  which 
they  started?  "     They  are  the  same  in  verbal  statement  and  ecclesi- 


I20  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

astical  label.  But  they  are  different  in  depth,  and  breadth,  in  scope  and 
charity.  The  Universalist  is  a  deeper  Universalist;  the  Episcopalian 
is  a  more  tolerant  Episcopalian;  the  Methodist  is  a  more  rational  Meth- 
odist; the  Congregationalist  is  a  more  spiritual  Congregationalist,  the 
Hebrew  is  a  more  sympathetic  Hebrew;  the  Catholic  is  a  more  ethical 
Catholic  for  having  discussed  these  great  themes  in  an  atmosphere  of 
earnestness  and  candor  and  reverence. 

Underneath  these  diversities  of  view,  they  all  partake  of  a  common 
spirit.  That  two  radically  different  faiths  should  altogether  fuse  was 
not  to  be  expected.  But  all  the  Christians,  widely  as  they  differed  on 
many  points,  were  practically  united  in  the  main  spirit  of  our  common 
American  Christianity.  Any  one  of  them  who  should  live  up  to  his  pro- 
fessed ideal  of  religion  would  be  at  once  a  worker  with  Christ  for  the 
spiritual  welfare  of  the  world,  and  a  partaker  with  him  in  the  divine 
life. 

Two  years  ago  we  reduced  these  common  points  of  spiritual  affinity 
to  formal  expression  in  a  creed  to  which  the  entire  class  of  sixty  gave 
assent;  and  while  the  creed  thus  composed  was  not  as  comprehensive 
and  explicit  at  certain  points  as  one  might  wish,  yet,  if  universally  ac- 
adopted  and  lived  out,  it  would  make  this  earth  a  heaven  within  a  single 
generation;  which  is  perhaps  as  good  a  test  of  orthodoxy  as  any. 

Man  is  by  nature  rehgious.  Truth  has  an  affinity  for  the  human 
mind.  Whoever  will  trust  implicitly  in  the  intrinsic  persuasiveness  of 
the  truth  and  the  inherent  honesty  of  youth,  and  strive  in  candor  and 
reverence  to  bring  together  the  truth  of  God  and  the  mind  and  heart 
of  young  men,  will  find  that  religious  instruction  is  not  only  possible  and 
practicable  in  the  midst  of  the  greatest  diversity  of  views;  but  also  the 
most  interesting  and  profitable  portion  of  the  college  curriculum.  Some 
of  his  students  will  believe  more  than  he;  some  will  believe  less;  all  will 
believe  differently.  But  they  are  all  sure  to  gain  the  great  ends  at  which 
religious  instruction  really  aims :  more  reverence  for  their  comrnon  Heav- 
enly Father,  and  more  respect  for  each  other,  more  loyalty  to  the  Spirit  of 
Christ,  more  readiness  to  live  pure  lives  and  do  good  work  in  the  world. 


WHAT   CAN  MUSIC   DO   FOR  THE   RELIGIOUS   LIFE   OF 

STUDENTS  ? 

PROFESSOR  H.  C.  MACDOUGALL,  Mus.D. 

WELLESLEY  COLLEGE,   WELLESLEY,   MASSACHUSETTS 

That  music  may  have  a  substantial  part  in  the  enrichment  of  the  re- 
ligious life  may  seem  an  absurdity  to  some,  a  beautiful  but  impractica- 
ble dream  to  others.  Our  ordinary  notion  of  the  art  is  that  it  is,  to  use 
Spencer's  phrase,  "  a  striking  constituent  of  the  efflorescence  of  civiliza- 
tion ";  in  certain  strictly  utilitarian  aspects,  the  handmaid  of  religion; 
or,  more  popularly,  the  language  of  the  emotions. 

This  last  characterization  of  music  has  been  responsible  for  a  re- 
gretted misconception  of  its  scope  and  usefulness.  If  music  be  the  lan- 
guage of  the  emotions,  how  is  it  that  beyond  simple  exhilaration  or 
depression,  music  has  no  direct  power?  It  cannot  call  forth  anger, 
love,  hate,  contempt,  derision,  care:  these  are  outside  music's  realm. 
A  large  part  of  the  standard  musical  literature,  particularly  the  classical 
and  pre-classical  masterpieces,  arouses  no  emotional  excitement;  on 
the  contrary,  the  mind  is  absorbed  by  pure  contemplation,  as  if  one  were 
looking  at  the  Parthenon.  Speaking  philosophically,  when  moods  or 
emotions  accompany  music  they  seem  to  be  accidental  rather  than  es- 
sential. Music  is  a  self-subsistent  art,  working  in  its  own  material  and 
governed  by  its  own  laws;  its  relation  to  life  should  be  estimated  only 
after  a  consideration  of  its  essential  nature  and  of  the  results  of  its 
work. 

What,  then,  may  we  say  as  to  music's  contribution  to  the  full  life? 
Music  tells  us  of  Law  and  inferentially  of  the  Lawgiver.  Deep  in  math- 
ematics lie  its  foundations.  The  mathematical,  acoustical,  and  mu- 
sical primacy  of  the  octave  and  the  perfect  fifth  are  absolute.  Na- 
ture in  the  harmonic  dlan,  gives  her  orders  as  to  chords,  keys,  and 
modulations,  and  the  composer  disobeys  them  at  his  peril.  Here  is 
the  foundation  of  our  whole  tonal  system ,  and  on  it  rest,  too,  the  laws 
of  musical  form.  Man  is  never  nearer  God  than  when,  out  of  the  im- 
palpable things  we  call  sound-waves,  and  in  accordance  with  God's 
laws,  written  in  Nature,  he  makes  an  enduring  overture  or  symphony. 
The  musician  is  not  a  creator.  He  is  God's  man,  achieving  only  as  he 
is  law-abiding.  If  Gllick  exceeded  Monteverde,  and  Wagner,  Gliick, 
it  was  only  because  law  in  the  artist's  vision  was  unfolded  and,  being 
unfolded,  obeyed.     "  Music  ministers  to  the  larger  life  by  revealing  in 


122  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

fresh  and  entrancing  forms  some  of  the  great  laws  of  God;  by  conform- 
ing ourselves  unto  law  we  attain  unto  liberty." 

But  music  makes  a  contribution  to  the  abundant  life  even  more 
striking,  if  not  more  significant,  than  the  one  just  referred  to:  it  gives 
opportunity  for  self-expression.  If  law  be  thought  of  as  repressive,  op- 
portunity is  expressive.  Of  what  is  music  expressive  ?  Happily,  music 
has  not  a  word-definite  message;  it  accepts  oz^r  interpretation  and  car- 
ries our  word,  our  hope,  our  prayer.  Whether  we  take  part  in  a  hymn 
or  in  an  oratorio,  or  are  some  Ysaye  or  Melba,  or  only  a  humble  listener, 
still  we  can  pour  out  our  soul,  can  give  voice  to  heart-hunger  or  to  praise. 
Because  music  deals  with  material  dissociated  with  everything  suggest- 
ing the  earth  or  that  which  is  earthy,  we  may  draw  from  it  so  much 
that  gives  satisfaction  to  the  soul.  To  the  vast  majority  of  His  children, 
God  has  mercifully  given  this  opportunity  of  self-expression.  Hand 
in  hand  with  self-expression  goes  self-development,  and  self-develop- 
ment means  the  abundant  life. 

If  we  consider  music's  physiological  power  chiefly,  it  is  pre-eminently 
the  art  for  youth,  just  as,  if  we  consider  it  in  its  formal  and  reflective 
aspects,  it  is  the  art  for  maturity.  The  music  exemplifying  the  highest 
artistic  impulses,  the  sanest,  wholesomest  artistic  life,  is  the  only  music 
that  will  minister  to  the  religious  life  of  students;  for  it  is  that  music, 
above  all  other  music,  which  is  based  on  law,  which  carries  with  it  ad- 
miration and  love  for  law,  and  is  the  best  vehicle  for  self-expression. 

The  proper  presentation  by  college  students  of  the  best  music,  or 
"  the  full  appreciation  of  the  best  music  by  them,  involves,first,  a  serious 
altitude  towards  the  art,  and  second,  a  serious  study  of  it.  We  are,  I 
am  sure,  impressed  with  the  claims  of  music  to  thoughtful  consideration 
as  an  art  having  vital  relations  with  the  mental  and  spiritual  life  of  a 
great  majority  of  our  college  students.  In  the  educational  world,  signs 
point  to  a  careful  study  of  the  value  of  music  in  the  highest  education; 
and  this  comes  about,  not  simply  because  music  is  interesting  or  enjoy- 
able, or  because  of  its  emotional  power,  but  because  of  its  ideal  and  sug- 
gestive beauty,  and  because  of  its  close  relation  with  the  intelligence  and 
with  the  fife  of  the  soul. 

What  direct  steps  may  be  taken  towards  securing  the  helpful  co- 
operation of  music  in  the  religious  life  of  the  students  ?  I  take  it  that 
the  center  of  the  outward  religious  life  of  the  student  is  the  college  chapel. 
Granted  the  existence  of  the  religious  spirit,  it  must  be  continued  and 
nourished.  If  the  college  chapel  be  bare,  unattractive;  if  the  organ 
be  inadequate;  if  the  organ  be  adequate  and  the  organist  not  alive  to 
the  privileges   of  his   position,  or  incompetent  for  them;  if  the   choir 


WHAT  CAN  MUSIC  DO  FOR  RELIGION?  123 

serve  perfunctorily;  if  the  service,  as  a  w^hole,  or  is  dead  or  uninteresting 
falls  short  of  the  highest  excellence  in  any  degree, —  by  so  much  are  the 
college  authorities  missing  their  privileges.  To  the  chapel  service 
should  the  students  confidently  come  for  help.  They  should  receive 
what  they  need,  and  no  pains  are  too  great  for  architect,  trustees,  presi- 
dent, organist,  choir,  and  congregation  to  take. 

Two  of  themost  important  elements  of  service-enrichment  are  the 
organ  and  the  choir.  In  the  consideration  of  music's  help  in  the  stu- 
dent's religious  life,  music  must  be  subordinated  to  the  end  in  view. 
After  the  service  has  been  mapped  out,  its  unification  accomplished , 
and  the  part  lo  be  allotted  to  music  determined,  the  manner  in  which 
the  latter  is  to  be  carried  out  becomes  of  much  importance.  The  mod- 
ern organ  has  become  an  expressive,  flexible  instrument,  capable  of  an 
immense  range  in  power  and  color.  The  organist  has  a  great  oppor- 
tunity. He  must  not  abuse  his  opportunity  by  attracting  attention  to 
himself,  by  obtruding  his  instrument,  or  by  indulging  in  sentimentalism. 
Discreetly  used,  his  position  is  of  great  usefulness. 

But  while  in  the  organ  the  student  finds  vicarious  expression,  in  the 
choir  he  may  offer  up  directly  to  God  his  prayer  and  praise  and  adora- 
tion. If  the  choir  be  devout  in  manner  and  musically  effective,  it  cannot 
fail,  either,  to  carry  with  it  the  religious  feeling  of  the  congregation. 
Let  the  college  find  a  choir-master  who  can  train  a  choir  so  that  it  shall 
be  reverent,  flexible  in  its  response  to  service  needs,  and  joyous  in  its 
work.  This  is  a  very  difficult  thing  to  manage,  but  if  managed,  it 
pays  a  hundred-fold.  A  congregation  can  be  led,  melted,  encouraged, 
by  a  choir  made  up  from  the  student  body,  when  the  finest  professional 
choir  would  leave  them  untouched. 

To^put  all  this  in  a  somewhat  different  way,  the  most  gracious  ser- 
vice that  music  can  render  to  the  religious  life  in  worship  is  the  service 
of  carrying  the  climax  reached  in  sermon,  address,  or  prayer  on  and 
higher.  This  music  can  do  through  hymn  or  anthem  or  organ.  To 
render  this  service  with  the  least  loss  of  power,  there  must  be  absolute 
co-ordination  in  every  respect  between  minister,  choir,  congregation, 
and  organist.  An  ideal?  Yes,  an  ideal;  a  wise  ideal;  a  practicable 
ideal.  Whatever  the  theme,  however  adequately  or  wisely  presented, 
music,  if  allowed  to  try,  will  take  it  up  and  carry  it  higher.  In  this 
sense  music  begins  where  words  leave  off. 

Whether  we  consider  the  direct  liturgical  bearings  of  music  or  its 
e^sent'al  nature,  may  we  not  conclude  that  it  may  help  the  religious 
life  of  the  student  by  aiding  him  in  the  expression  of  his  aspirations  and 
by  giving  him  a  beautiful  and  forcible  illustration  of  divine  immanence 
and  divine  law? 


III.     THEOLOGICAL   SEMINARIES 


THE  ANNUAL  SURVEY  OF  WORK  OF  THEOLOGICAL 

SEMINARIES 

PRESIDENT   WILLIAM   DOUGLAS    MACKENZIE,    D.D. 

HARTFORD  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY,  HARTFORD,  CONNECTICUT 

One  is  glad  to  find  that  several  seminaries,  which  hitherto  have  not 
insisted  upon  the  college  degree  for  entrance,  have  begun  to  do  so. 
Several  report  additions  to  their  faculty.  At  Union  Theological  Semi- 
nary they  are  adding  a  graduate  chair  of  Theological  Encyclopsedics 
and  Symbolics  for  men  pursuing  advance  courses,  a  graduate  chair 
of  preaching  for  "  ministers  who  desire  further  training  in  this  depart- 
ment," an  assistant  has  been  added  to  the  work  of  the  Homiletic  De- 
partment, and  a  chair  of  AppHed  Christianity  has  also  been  established. 
New  Brunswick  Theological  Seminary  has  added  the  teaching  of  cog- 
nate languages  in  the  Old  Testament  field,  is  making  arrangements 
with  New  York  University  with  regard  to  studies  for  the  doctor's  de- 
gree, and  is  also  "  steadily  increasing  facilities  for  the  study  of  com- 
parative religion."  At  Auburn  a  new  chair  has  been  established  in 
Apologetics  and  Theism,  and  the  President  wishes  to  arrange  for  the 
teaching  of  religious  pedagogy.  Andover  has  added  an  instructor  in 
the  History  of  Religion.  At  Oberlin  the  college  degree  is  demanded 
for  entrance  and  "  genuinely  post-graduate  work  of  a  severe  order  is 
now  being  done,  involving  the  abandonment  of  the  lecture  system,  and 
the  adoption  of  something  like  seminar  work."  Rochester  has  in- 
troduced new  requirements  for  admission,  and  now  demands  the  college 
degree,  or  ability  to  do  the  work  of  degree  of  B.  D.  Two  new  pro- 
fessorships have  been  added,  one  for  English  Bible  and  one  for  assist- 
ance in  the  work  of  New  Testament  interpretation.  Rochester  has, 
moreover,  adopted  the  elective  system,  adding  the  number  of  courses 
under  this  head  to  the  fixed  curriculum.  General  Theological  Semin- 
ary of  New  York  has  also  adopted  the  elective  system  in  an  experi- 
mental manner,  and  is  extending  the  seminar  system  of  class-work. 
An  instructor  in  Ethics  has  been  added  to  the  faculty,  and  the  Dean 
reports  that  the  library  has  been  "  substantially  remade." 

The  Elective  System.  One  cannot  look  over  the  catalogues  of  theo- 
logical seminaries  and  the  letters  which  have  come  from  them  without 
remarking  the  steady  spread  of  the  elective  system.     Even  seminaries 

124 


WORK  OF  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARIES  125 

whose  equipment  is  small  are  yet  trying,  by  imposing  additional  class- 
room labor  upon  their  staff,  to  meet  with  the  demand  for  this  feature 
in  a  theological  curriculum.  The  old  system  recognized  five  main  de- 
partments of  study:  Old  Testament,  New  Testament,  Systematic  The- 
ology, Church  History,  and  Homiletics.  The  characteristic  of  that 
system  was  that  the  students  could  concentrate  for  prolonged  periods 
upon  each  discipline, >  giving  it  full  justice.  The  result  was  that  men 
went  out  masters  in  some  real  measure  of  the  great  instruments  with 
which  investigation  in  every  direction  could  afterwards  be  carried 
on. 

This  modern  demand  has  arisen  everywhere  from  two  main  sources. 
First,  through  the  growth  of  investigation  in  the  nineteenth  century 
there  has  been  a  great  increase  of  departments  and  sub-departments 
in  the  vast  field  of  Christian  scholarship.  Subjects  which  seemed  to  be 
unified  in  a  simple  fashion,  fifty  years  ago,  have  been  broken  up  and 
their  several  portions  have  grown  into  independent  fields  of  research 
and  systematic  thought.  Let  me  merely  name  to  you  the  rise  of  the 
science  of  comparative  religion  out  of  the  extraordinary  labors  of  in- 
numerable scholars  upon  all  the  religions  of  the  world.  Out  of  this 
science  there  has  arisen  a  wider  demand  for  a  study  of  the  philosophy 
of  religion,  and  the  latter  has  brought  problems  in  metaphysics  in  a 
fresh  way,  and  from  a  new  quarter,  into  the  field  of  theological  investi- 
gation. Christian  ethics  during  the  last  fifty  years  became  detached 
definitely  from  d-ogmatics,  and  demands  separate  treatment,  both  in 
method  and  in  end.  Closely  connected  with  this  there  has  arisen  the 
science  of  sociology.  Yet  again,  out  of  the  modern  methods  of  psy- 
chological investigation  have  arisen  various  efforts  to  understand  the 
nature  and  laws  of  religious  experience.  This  threatens,  under  our 
very  eyes,  to  become  a  new  department.  On  the  practical  side,  we  are 
now  familiar  with  the  phrase  "  religious  pedagogy,"  and  are  aware  that 
not  only  do  many  seminaries  try  to  give  it  a  subordinate  place  in  their 
scheme,  but  separate  institutions  have  been  created  to  give  full  train- 
ing in  the  science  and  art  of  Christian  education.  One  must  only  refer 
to  the  greater  breadth  and  depth  which  has  been  given  to  the  older 
fields  of  Old  and  New  Testament  scholarship  by  modern  discoverers 
in  the  field  of  Semitic  languages  and  literature,  and  by  the  great  exten- 
sion of  knowledge  in  the  already  vast  field  of  early  Christian  history 
and  literature. 

Second.  We  must  note  the  more  frank  recognition  which  we  all  give 
to  the  diversities  of  interests  and  gifts  among  students.  Enthusiastic 
teachers  desire  to  help  men  to  find  out  what  they  can  do  best,  and  in 


126  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

what  department  they  can  work  with  most  hope  of  making  it  a  life  inter- 
est. 

The  dangers  of  the  Elective  System  may  be  put  in  the  following 
manner:  First,  the  danger  of  superficial  work  all  round.  This  must 
arise  if  the  student  goes  forth  with  no  one  subject  mastered,  and  there- 
fore with  no  real  mental  discipline.  Second,  a  danger  of  the  opposite 
kind,  which  arises  when  a  student  specializes  too  soon  and  confines  his 
hard  work  to  a  field  which  is  too  narrow.  He  may  lay  there  the  founda- 
tion of  a  real  life  interest  and  within  it  become  a  scholar;  but  he  will  find 
later  that  his  favorite  and  only  department  is  organically  connected  with 
all  others,  and  that  he  is  unfitted  to  pass  into  them  or  receive  their  aid 
from  the  fact  that  he  neglected  those  classes  which  are  necessary  for 
scholarship  in  these  related  portions  of  the  whole  system. 

-  If  these  be  the  dangers,  by  what  methods  can  we  obviate  them  ?  I 
will  try  to  answer  this  question  by  referring  to  the  plans  adopted  by  sev- 
eral of  our  best-known  theological  schools. 

(i)  In  the  first  place,  let  me  refer  to  the  plan  adopted  by  the  Divinity 
School  of  Harvard  University.  Here  the  utmost  freedom  of  election  is 
allowed  to  all,  excepting  those  who  enter  for  the  degree  of  B.D.  From 
these  a  total  of  fourteen  courses  in  three  years  is  demanded.  Two  of 
these  may  be  chosen  from  the  Faculty  of  Arts  and  Sciences.  As  to  the 
remainder,  it  is  said,  "  Candidates  for  the  degree  are  not  allowed  to 
neglect  entirely  any  one  of  the  following  departments :  Old  Testament, 
New  Testament,  Church  History,  Theology,  Homiletics." 

(2)  Another  plan  may  be  called  the  "  Grouping  System."  Under 
this  the  whole  number  of  courses  offered  in  the  institution  is  divided 
up  under  various  heads,  some  being  generally  classed  as  required  or 
prescribed,  and  others  as  elective.  Under  each  group,  which  practically 
becomes  a  curriculum  for  the  student  choosing  it,  it  is  sought  to  secure 
three  ends.  First,  each  student  is  compelled  to  do  some  work  in  all  of 
the  main  departments.  Second,  under  each  group  subject  a  list  of 
courses  is  given,  which  belong  to  it  or  are  most  nearly  connected  with 
it.  These  become  prescribed  for  the  particular  student.  Third,  a 
margin  of  hours  is  usually  left,  which  each  student  can  fill  up  from  all 
the  other  electives  offered,  with  absolute  freedom.  In  working  out  this 
plan,  each  student  must  consider  the  professor  in  whose  group  he  en- 
rolls himself  as  his  personal  adviser  in  all  matters  concerning  his  course. 
The  professor  is  bound  to  take  the  special  oversight  over  all  students 
in  his  group,  keep  as  close  to  them  as  he  can  from  one  term  to  another, 
and  report  on  their  progress  to  the  faculty  as  a  whole. 

(3)  Another  and  most  interesting  plan  is  that  which  is  being  carried 


WORK  01    THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARIES  127 

out  by  Princeton  Theological  Seminary.  First,  Princeton  offers  a  fixed 
regular  curriculum  on  the  old  lines,  without  electives,  which  leads  to  a 
certificate  of  graduation  at  the  end  of  three  years.  Second,  a  number 
of  what  are  called  extra-curriculum  courses  are  offered  in  each  depart- 
ment, and  in  certain  fields  outside  the  regular  curriculum.  From  these 
courses  no  student  may  choose  more  than  four  hours  during  each  of  his 
three  years  of  undergraduate  study.  These  four  hours  do  not  seem  to 
count  in  any  way  towards  his  grade  on  graduation.  It  is  most  inter- 
esting, and  for  the  friends  of  the  elective  system  most  encouraging  to 
find  that  last  year  at  Princeton  there  were  no  fewer  than  157  entries 
(counting  the  repetition  of  names)  made  by  undergraduates  for  these 
elective  courses.  Third,  Princeton  adds  a  fourth  year  of  work,  all  of 
which  must  be  done  to  the  extent  of  no  less  than  twelve  hours  in  the 
extra  curriculum  courses.  These  courses  are  in  the  five  regular  depart- 
ments, with  Semitic  philology  added  as  a  sixth  department.  The  stu- 
dent who  comes  up  for  a  fourth  year  chooses  one  of  these  groups,  and 
in  it  he  must  spend  at  least  two  thirds  of  his  time,  the  remaining  one 
third  being  left  as  elective.  In  addition,  he  has  a  thesis,  and  when  the 
thesis  and  examinations  on  his  year's  work  are  through,  he  receives  the 
degree  of  B.  D.  Under  this  arrangement  last  year,  no  fewer  than  nine- 
teen men  received  their  degree. 

The  Fourth  Year. — The  pressure  of  the  elective  system  has  thus 
brought  us  face  to  face  with  the  question  whether  the  time  has  come 
or  theological  seminaries  to  insist  on  a  fourth  year  of  study.  The 
great  extension  of  the  field  of  theological  learning  to  which  we  have 
alluded,  as  well  as  the  example  of  medical  schools  which  have  pro- 
longed their  courses  to  four  and  even  five  years,  have  combined  to 
raise  this  question  in  many  minds.  Within  the  last  five  years  another 
movement  has  emphasized  the  problem  for  us.  I  refer  to  the  tendency 
of  colleges  and  universities  to  admit  studies  preparative  to  a  theological 
course  into  the  curriculum  for  the  B.A.  degree.  Students  who  have 
included  in  their  arts  course  classes  in  Hebrew,  Christian  Ethics, 
Apologetics,  New  Testament,  Greek,  Sociology,  and  perhaps  Church 
History,  expect  to  receive  credit  for  this  work  when  they  come  to  a 
seminary,  and  sometimes  wish  to  finish  their  theological  course  in  two 
instead  of  three  years.  The  value  of  a  fourth  year  need  not  be  dis- 
cussed. 

Undoubtedly  any  seminary  which  took  this  step  would  have  to  be 
content  for  a  con^derable  time  with  a  small  enrollment  in  its  fourth 
year.  And  yet  here  the  experience  of  Princeton  is  most  encouraging. 
I  find  that  this  seminary,  last  year,  had  altogether  34  graduate  students. 


128  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

Of  these,  no  less  than  23  had  graduated  from  their  respective  seminaries 
within  the  last  five  years. 

Another  important  experiment  is  being  made  toward  the  establish- 
ment of  a  fourth  year  by  Union  Theological  Seminary,  New  York. 
In  this  institution,  also,  the  degree  of  B.  D.  is  granted  under  two  sepa- 
rate conditions,  (a)  A  man  of  exceptionally  high  standing  may  add  to 
his  already  very  heavy  classroom  work  additional  courses,  which  must 
include  sixty  in  the  Old  Testament  department,  and  thirty  in  the 
New  Testament  department.  In  that  department  which  a  student 
elects  as  his  major,  and  in  which  his  thesis  must  fall,  he  must  do  no 
less  than  180  hours  of  classroom  work'  besides  that  required  for  the 
diploma,  (b)  A  man  who  has,  during  the  three  years'  course  either 
at  Union,  "  or  in  some  other  approved  institution,"  attained  an  average 
grade  of  not  less  than  80  per  cent,  may  enter  upon  a  course  some- 
what similar  to  that  of  Princeton.  He  must  do  twelve  hours  of  class- 
room work  a  week,  but  he  may  take  one  sixth  of  his  session's  work 
at  Columbia  or  New  York  University.  From  him,  also,  a  thesis  is, 
of  course,  required.  In  the  catalogue  for  1902-1903,  Union  reported 
22  graduates  students,  some  of  whom  were  working  practically  on 
the  fourth  year  for  the  degree. 

The  Influence  0}  Comparative  Religion. —  We  are  all  aware  of  the 
fierce  controversy  which  has  been  raging  in  Germany  over  the  influence  of 
the  study  of  religion  as  a  whole  upon  the  theological  departments  in  uni- 
versities. On  the  one  hand,  we  have  men,  with  Troeltsch,  perhaps, 
as  their  protagonist,  who  maintain  that  all  theological  work  must  be 
recast  in  the  light  of  our  modern  view  of  the  religions  of  the  world  and 
of  their  relations  to  Christianity.  For  it  is  urged  that  we  are  now  com- 
pelled to  study  the  Old  Testament  in  all  its  aspects  in  direct  connection 
with  Semitic  religions,  and  to  trace  the  influence  upon  Hebrew  thought 
of  the  religions  of  the  peoples  with  whom  they  came  in  contact  through- 
out their  history.  Similarly,  the  New  Testament  is,  we  are  told,  being 
re-read.  The  rise  of  its  doctrines  and  its  worship  is  explained  in  the 
light,  not  only  of  Judaism,  but  of  the  thought  and  worship  of  the  Hellenic 
world.  The  idea  of  canonicity,  it  is  urged,  must  have  no  place  in  the 
construction  of  the  curriculum  for  a  theological  school,  any  more  than 
in  the  individual  scholar's  investigation  of  primitive  Christianity  and  the 
religion  of  Israel.  Old  Testament  introduction  ought  to  widen  out  into 
the  religion  of  Israel.  The  Biblical  theology  of  the  Old  Testament  dis- 
appears into  the  religion  of  the  Hebrews  and  of  the  Jews.  New  Testa- 
ment introduction  gives  place  to  the  larger  term,  the  literature  of  primi- 
tive Christianity,  and  its  theology  passes  into  th^  dnrtrines  of  the  several 


WORK  OF  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARIES  129 

teachers  and  circles  of  the  first  two  centuries;  and  so  on  with  the  rest 
of  the  departments.  Even  in  Germany,  however,  the  advocates  of  this 
plan  do  not  have  it  all  their  own  way.  Redoubtable  champions  have 
appeared  in  Harnack,  Reichle,  and  others.  Reichle  especially  has 
written  with  great  intelligence  and  fervor  on  the  subject. 

In  America  we  have  not  gone  so  far,  but  the  question  in  this  survey 
is  whether  our  theological  schools  have  been  at  all  profoundly  moved 
by  interest  in  the  science  and  history  of  religion. 

Dr.  Warren,  late  president  of  Boston  University,  taught  Compara- 
tive Religion  in  the  Divinity  School  for  thirty-five  years.  Chicago 
Theological  Seminary,  I  am  inclined  to  believe,  was  the  first  seminary 
in  this  country  to  make  comparative  religion  a  required  subject  for  all 
students;  and  it  did  this  some  seven  or  eight  years  ago.  No  less  than 
40  hours  in  the  junior  year  were  demanded  of  every  student.  A  large 
number  of  seminaries  have  given  some  small  place  to  comparative 
religion  without  having  made  it  a  compulsory  study.  But  some  have 
gone  further  than  that.  At  the  Divinity  School  of  Harvard  the  Phi- 
losophy and  History  of  Religion  are  dealt  with  mainly  by  a  Professor 
of  the  Old  Testament  Department.  The  students  are  invited  to  elect 
from  courses  offered  by  the  Faculty  of  Arts  and  Sciences,  and  the  fol- 
lowing are  among  the  topics  named:  Science  of  Religion,  The  Reli- 
gions of  India,  The  Philosophical  Systems  of  India,  Germanic  and 
Celtic  Religions,  History  of  Babylonia  and  Assyria.  Attention  is  also 
directed  to  certain  courses  in  Philosophy  including  Ethics,  Metaphysics, 
and  the  Philosophy  of  Nature. 

In  the  Divinity  School  of  the  University  of  Chicago  a  reorganization 
of  the  department  of  Systematic  Theology  is  now  being  made,  which, 
it  is  quite  evident,  has  been  profoundly  influenced  by  the  religious- 
history  method.  The  department  is  to  be  worked  under  four  main 
divisions  which  are  described  as  follows:  i.  Philosophical  Theol- 
ogy; 2.  Scriptural  Theology,  "  Systematic  Theology  drawing  its  data 
exclusively  from  the  Scriptures";  3.  Historical  Theology,  divided  be- 
tween the  departments  of  Systematic  Theology  and  Church  History; 
4.  Comparative  Theology,  "  in  which  the  theological  teachings  of  the 
ethnic  faiths  will  be  compared  with  those  of  the  Christian  system." 
This  sub-department  is  to  be  divided  iijto  three  sections,  the  first 
treating  of  the  Philosophy  of  Religion,  the  second  of  the  Psychology 
of  Religion,  and  the  third  of  the  History  and  Theology  of  Religions. 

At  Hartford  Theological  Seminary,  within  the  Department  of  Sys- 
tematic Theology  there  are  courses  on  the  Philosophy  of  Religion  and 
on    Introduction  to  the  History  of   Religions,   as   well   as  a   reading 


I30  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

course  in  that  history.  In  the  Department  of  Philology  and  Exegesis 
a  place  is  found  for  the  reading  of  Arabic,  the  study  of  the  theology  of 
Islam,  the  history  and  methods  of  Mohammedanism,  the  history  of  the 
attitude  of  Moslems  towards  the  Christian  and  Jewish  religions,  and 
for  Christian  missions  in  Egypt  and  Arabia.  Work  is  also  done,  of 
course,  in  Assyriology,  and,  in  the  history  of  Semitic  religion  in  general, 
especially  in  its  relations  to  the  history  of  Israel  and  early  Christianity. 
In  the  Mission  Courses,  instruction  is  offered  in  a  large  number  of 
languages. 

At  Union  Theological  Seminary  there  now  exists  a  department  en- 
titled the  "  Philosophy  and  History  of  Religion,"  which  is  under  the 
charge  of  one  professor.  He  offers  courses  in  the  Philosophy  of  Re- 
ligion, Survey  of  the  Ethnic  Faiths,  Introduction  to  the  Study  of  the 
Philosophy  of  Religion,  Origin  and  Development  of  Religion,  and 
Christianity  in  the  Light  of  the  Development  of  Religion.  In  addi- 
tion, many  important  courses  are  named  in  the  catalogue  which  are 
offered  by  Columbia  University  and  New  York  University,  respectively. 

On  the  whole  matter,  perhaps  you  will  allow  me  to  make  the  fol- 
lowing general  observations :  First,  the  only  point  at  which,  excepting 
the  case  of  th&  University  of  Chicago,  comparative  religion  has  come 
thoroughly  into  the  theological  curriculum,  is  through  the  study  of 
the  Philosophy  of  Religion.  Second,  the  only  school  which  has  attempted 
to  reorganize  the  substance  of  its  course  under  the  influence  of  re- 
ligious history  is  the  Divinity  School  of  the  University  of  Chicago,  and 
even  there  it  is  limited  at  present  to  the  systematic  department,  and  has 
not  extended  so  far  as  to  obliterate  the  distinction  between  Old  Testa- 
ment and  new  Testament  literature  and  the  non-canonical  literature  of 
those  periods.  Third,  the  influence  of  the  religious-historical  method 
on  the  Biblical  and  historical  departments  of  a  divinity  school  can, 
as  yet,  only  appear  in  the  classroom  method  of  individual  professors. 
Fourth,  it  may  be  worth  pointing  out  that  at  Hartford  Theological 
Seminary  the  inclusion  of  subjects  connected  with  the  History  of  Re- 
ligions in  the  curriculum  is  associated,  not  exclusively,  but  largely, 
with  the  effort  to  train  men  more  thoroughly  for  the  foreign  mission 
field.  The  aim  is  to  give  them  some  knowledge  of  the  language  with 
which  they  must  be  employed  in  the  future,  and  of  the  nature  and 
the  history  of  the  religion  of  that  people  among  whom  they  hope  to 
preach  the  gospel  of  Christ.  Fifth,  —  and  that  leads  me  to  hazard 
the  prophecy  that,  in  years  to  come,  in  this  country,  we  may  find  two 
types  of  a  theological  curriculum  arising.  Under  the  first  we  shall 
find  the  cours.'  oi  study  reorganized  from  a  purely  intellectu;;   stand- 


WORK  OF  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARIES  131 

point.  The  History  of  Religions,  including  Christianity,  will  be 
treated  as  in  some  sense  co-ordinate.  An  effort  will  be  made  to  de- 
velop the  philosophy  underlying  the  whole  vast  religious  life  of  man, 
and  the  various  departments  will  tend  to  rest  upon  an  investigation  of 
the  history  of  each  religion  and  of  its  interrelations  with  the  others. 
It  is  not  impossible  that  in  America  the  first  programme  may  be 
adopted  by  some  great  school,  which  reflects  the  opinion  of  the  group 
of  agitators  in  Germany,  to  whom  I  referred  above.  Under  the  other 
type,  theological  schools  will  continue  to  be  organized,  not  in  relation 
primarily  to  the  universal  fact  of  religion,  but  in  relation  to  the 
life  and  purpose  of  the  Christian  Church,  not  on  the  basis 
of  the  ideal  unity  of  all  religious  life,  but  on  the  basis  of  the  abso- 
lute nature  of  one  religion,  Christianity. 


Discussion 


PROFESSOR  GEORGE  E.  HORR,  D.D. 

NEWTON  THEOLOGICAL  INSTITUTION,  NEWTON  CENTER,  MASSACHUSETTS 

It  may  be  pertinent  to  call  attention  to  a  fact  which  has  not  been 
mentioned  in  this  discussion.  The  reformed  churches,  which  received 
their  impulse  from  Calvin  —  the  Churches  of  France,  of  the  Rhineland, 
of  Switzerland,  Holland,  and  Scotland  —  almost  without  exception, 
had  a  pastor  and  a  teacher,  or  a  ruling  elder.  The  meeting-house  of  the 
Salem  (Massachusetts)  Church,  which  is  still  standing,  holds  about  thirty 
persons,  but  the  congregation  that  worshiped  there  had  a  pastor  and  a 
teacher.  In  modern  times  we  have  departed  from  this  wholesome  prac- 
tice. Our  churches  put  all  the  burdens  of  preaching,  teaching,  and 
administration  upon  one  person.  The  differentiation  of  function  is  the 
mark  of  evolutionary  process,  but  we  do  not  follow  out  that  sound 
principle  in  the  ministry.  The  result  is,  that  our  churches  are  seeking 
for  the  rare  men  who  can  do  the  most  diverse  things  equally  well,  and 
when  they  have  found  him,  they  proceed  to  kill  him. 

We  need  both  classes  of  men  in  the  ministry  —  the  teaching  or 
preaching  pastor,  and  the  ruling  or  administrative  pastor.  The  two 
classes  of  officers  need  very  different  kinds  of  training.  But  the  theo- 
logical seminary  is  geared  to  the  training  of  the  preaching  pastor.  The 
most  necessary  reform  in  the  theological  discipline  of  to-day  is  that  the 
seminaries  train  both  sorts  of  men,  and  the  most  necessary  reform  in 
the  churches  is  that  churches  of  any  considerable  size  shall  have  at 
least  two  pastors. 


132  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

Looking  now  at  the  work  of  theological  seminaries,  as  at  present 
adjusted,  tliree  facts  are  worth  noting. 

I.  The  need  of  a  spiritual  quickening  throughout  our  country. 
Various  causes  are  adduced  to  account  for  the  fact  that  the  young  men 
in  our  colleges  are  not  making  a  choice  of  the  ministry.  But  the  under- 
lying cause  of  the  situation  is  that  since  1858  America  has  not  been 
spiritually  moved,  so  that  the  spiritual  consciousness  of  the  nation  has 
been  aroused.  I  am  not  arguing  for  any  revival  that  wastes  itself  in 
emotionalism,  but  I  do  not  see  how  any  religious  man  can  deny  that 
we  need  a  profound  reawakening  of  the  spiritual  consciousness  of  the 
American  people  to  eternal  things.  Most  of  the  problems  that  confront 
the  religious  world  would  be  largely  settled  by  a  deep  and  general  re- 
awakening of  the  spiritual  consciousness  of  the  American  people.  There 
would  be  no  Sunday-evening-service  problem,  no  vacant-seat  problem 
in  the  morning  service,  no  city-evangelization  problem,  no  theological- 
seminary-support  problem,  no  lack-of-students-for-the-ministry  prob- 
lem, if  we  could  have  such  a  spiritual  quickening  as  that  of  which  I 
am  speaking. 

II.  A  second  fact  deserves  attention.  During  this  period  of  spiritual 
dearth  we  have  been  passing  through  the  most  prodigious  intellectual 
revolution  that  the  world  has  ever  known.  We  can  fix  the  date  of  it. 
The  decade  1870-1880  was  momentous  in  the  history  of  thought,  in  the 
attitude  of  the  civilized  mind  toward  the  universe.  The  Weltanschauung 
was  revolutionized.  In  affirming  this  I  do  not  mean  to  insinuate,  in 
the  slightest  degree,  whether  or  not  I  think  that  what  is  vaguely  called 
"  the  evolutionary  hypothesis,"  can  be  verified  or  not.  I  simply  point 
out  that  in  the  period  designated  we  came  into  a  new  psychological 
climate,  and  the  influence  of  that  climate  was  felt  not  only  in  biology, 
but  in  philosophy,  history,  sociology,  pedagogy,  Bibhcal  interpretation, 
and  theology.  It  is  impossible  for  men  to  look  at  things  just  as  they 
did  previous  to  1870,  no  matter  what  their  individual  convictions.  At 
the  very  least,  they  have  to  take  account  of  fresh  considerations  and 
answer  new  objections. 

III.  There  is,  however,  one  aspect  in  the  situation  that  is  bright 
with  light  and  full  of  promise,  and  that  is  the  increasing  intellectual 
appreciation  everywhere  of  the  moral  and  spiritual  content  of  the  Per- 
sonality of  Jesus  Christ.  Probably  no  life  of  Jesus  written  before  1830 
is  worth  reading,  and  few  of  the  multitudes  of  biographies  of  Jesus  that 
have  teemed  from  the  press  since  i860  are  destitute  of  worthy  spiritual 
suggestion.  When  we  come  to  think  of  it,  the  just  implications  of  such 
facts  are  astounding.     There  is  seen  to  be  a  wealth  and  a  power  of 


WORK  OF  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARIES  133 

spiritual  life  in  Jesus  that  we  have  not  begun  to  exhaust.  Theology 
is  surely  coming  to  its  own  again  as  the  queen  of  the  sciences,  because 
she  is  discovering  her  true  center  and  inspiration  —  the  sovereign  fact 
which  reconciles  the  old  conviction  and  the  new  outlook.  The  moral 
and  spiritual  awakening  for  which  we  all  long,  which  will  fill  our  semi- 
naries with  eager  and  heroic  spirits,  will  surely  come  as  the  intellectual 
convictions  of  the  best  modern  thought  set  on  fire  the  emotions  and 
will  of  multitudes  of  men.  And  the  breath  of  the  Spirit  may  accomp- 
lish that  at  any  moment. 


PROFESSOR  ALFRED  WILLIAMS  ANTHONY,  D.D. 

COBB    DIVINITY  SCHOOL,  LEWISTON,  MAINE 

The  seminaries  may  be  known  and  the  value  of  their  work  tested 
in  four  ways:  (i)  Through  their  published  catalogues;  (2)  by  descriptive 
statements  made  by  president,  dean,  or  professor;  (3)  through  the  per- 
sonnel of  the  teaching  staff;  and  (4)   by  the  students  who  graduate. 

Ministers  may  be  classified  under  four  types:  the  scholar,  the 
preacher,  the  pastor,  and  the  administrator.  The  scholarly  type  has 
been  the  product  aimed  at  in  the  seminary  course,  until  within  a  quarter 
of  a  century;  the  aim  has  been  gradually  shifting  to  the  fourth,  or  the 
the  administrative,  type.  The  combination  of  the  four  into  one  is  a 
rare  creation,  and  consequently  truly  great  men  in  the  ministry  are  few, 
as  are  such  men  everywhere. 

Recognizing  that  seminaries  have  the  distinctive  function  of  pre- 
paring men  for  the  ministry,  acknowledging  that  they  have  made  great 
advances  in  variety  of  subjects  taught,  in  the  methods  of  instruction, 
and  in  their  spirit  and  readiness  of  adaptation  to  changed  conditions, 
yet  there  appear  certain  respects  in  which  the  curriculum  of  the  semi- 
naries falls  short,  in  which  their  work  proves  defective. 

Cultivation  of  the  emotional  nature  should  be  provided.  Even  so 
cold  and  intellectual  a  philosopher  as  Herbert  Spencer  insisted  that 
education,  to  be  complete,  must  include  the  emotions.  No  psychology 
to-day  leaves  out  the  feelings,  no  school  of  pedagogy  forgets  the  appeal 
to  the  imagination.  Beyond  the  curriculum  laid  down  in  the  catalogue, 
there  should  be  a  depth  of  devotion,  fervency  of  feeling,  and  warmth  of 
love  surcharging  all  the  exercises  of  a  seminary,  else  its  instruction 
becomes  cold  and  formal.  It  is  the  crying  need  of  the  theological  semi- 
nary, of  the  waiting  Church,  and  of  the  heavily  laden  world,  that, 
in  addition  to  all  their  scholarship,  and  there  is  none  too  much,  in  ad- 
dition to  their  oratory  and  eloquence,  and  the  Gospel  needs  it  all,  in 
addition  to  their  fidelity  and  patience  with  wandering  sinners,  in  addition 


134  [THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

to  their  large  grasp  of  affairs,  their  attention  to  detail  and  energy  in 
action,  that  men  who  preach  be  filled  with  this  glow  of  enthusiasm  and 
fervency  of  devotion  that  will  carry  them  through  hardship  and  let 
them  halt  at  no  service  and  sacrifice.  The  seminaries  need  passion,  a- 
thing  that  cannot  be  taught,  and  can  be  imparted,  if  at  all,  only  by 
contagion. 

Preaching  is,  after  all,  the  distinctive  function  of  the  minister.  But 
the  pulpit  is  not  the  only  herald  calling  to  be  heard.  The  urgency  and 
the  din  of  competition  are  great.  Preaching,  then,  must  have  a  message 
worth  the  hearing.  To-day  it  is  not  the  manner  so  much  as  the  matter 
that  counts.  Mere  oratory  and  rhetoric  have  vanished  from  before  the 
bar,  from  the  public  platform  and  political  stump;  it  has  a  lessened 
acceptance  in  the  pulpit. 

Matter  need  not  embrace,  nor  need  it  totally  avoid,  politics,  eco- 
nomics education,  art,  philanthropy,  nor  any  of  the  interests  vital  to 
human  life  and  progress,  but  the  matter  of  the  pulpit  discourse,  more 
than  of  any  other  utterance,  must  be  what  can  ever  and  always  and 
everywhere  be  called  "  the  gospel."  The  gospel,  as  I  understand  it, 
is  a  recital  of  the  way  in  which  man  can  come  into  fellowship  with 
his  God;  it  is  the  appeal  of  the  divine  to  the  human  and  of  the  human 
to  the  divine;  it  must  always  be  a  disclosure  of  the  unseen  to  the  hitherto 
unseeing;  it  must  have  in  it  something  of  revelation,  no  matter  what 
the  special  theme  nor  the  frequency  of  utterance. 

We  scarcely  can  teach  men  to  pray;  but  all  that  is  signified  in  the 
ministry  of  public  prayer  should  in  some  way  be  cultivated  in  young 
men  who  hope  to  lead  their  fellow-men  into  communion  with  the  un- 
seen. If  we,  who  are  teachers,  belong  to  a  church  which  does  not 
employ  liturgical  forms,  then  is  our  task  the  more  difficult,  and  the 
more  delicate  in  its  difficulty.  Yet,  weary  men,  who  have  been  pressed 
six  days  in  the  week  with  sordid,  worldly  cares,  are  better  ministered 
to  by  the  man  who,  human  like  themselves,  can  step  sanely,  yet  surely, 
out  of  these  merely  earthly  scenes  into  the  presence  of  the  Holy  One, 
than  by  the  man  who  merely  preaches  learned  discourses  or  popular 
homilies.  Busy  men  —  I  venture  to  say,  business  men  —  appreciate 
the  uplift  of  prayer  which,  in  phrase,  in  comprehensiveness,  in  point 
of  departure,  in  atmosphere,  and  in  controlled,  yet  sustained,  feeling, 
goes  itself  and  carries  others  into  the  presence  of  the  Invisible.  Prayer 
is  a  blessed  ministry.  Too  few  pray  as  ministering  spirits.  Those 
who  do  have  a  holy  function. 


THE  DECLINE  IN  THE  NUMBER  OF  STUDENTS  FOR 
THE  MINISTRY 

PRESIDENT  ALFRED    T.  PERRY,  D.  D. 

MARIETTA  COLLEGE,  MARIETTA,  OHIO 

The  things  we  really  want  to  know  are:  I.  Just  what  is  the  truth 
regarding  the  decline  in  numbers  ?  II.  Wliat  has  led  young  men  to  shun 
this  profession  in  recent  years  ?  III.  What  is  the  remedy  for  this  state 
of  things  ?       How  can  we  regain  the  devotion  of  young  men  ?  . 

The  first  question  is  purely  a  statistical  one,  to  be  answered  through 
the  intelligent  use  of  statistics.  The  answer  to  the  second  has  been 
made  for  us  by  the  young  men  of  to  day  who  are  looking  forward  to 
the  ministry.  The  answer  to  the  third  will  represent  only  the  opinion 
of  one  interested  student  of  this  subject. 

I  have  sought  to  gather  my  information  widely  and  collate  it  care- 
fully. Limiting  my  inquiry  to  the  period  since  i8go,  I  have  issued 
circulars  to  382  colleges  and  universities,  to  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  presidents 
in  327  of  them,  to  120  theological  seminaries,  to  the  leaders  and  officers 
in  21  denominations,  as  well  as  to  numerous  friends  and  representatives. 

Out  of  the  382  colleges  I  have  received  replies,  either  through  a 
college  officer  or  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  president,  from  263.  These  reports 
supplemented  by  those  of  the  United  States  Commissioner  of  Educa- 
tion, have  furnished  my  answer  to  the  first  two  questions. 

Coming  directly  to  our  questions: 

I.  What  is  the  truth  in  regard  to  the  decline  in  number  of  students  ? 
Here  are  the  figures  of  the  United  States  Commissioner  of  Education : 

THEOLOGICAL  STUDENTS  IN  ALL    SEMINARIES    REPORTING,  AND  NUMBER  IN 
PROTESTANT  SEMINARIES. 


Year 

Total  Number 

Protestant 

Year 

Total  Number 

Protestant 

1870 

3254 

1893 

7836 

6541 

1875 

5234 

1894 

7658 

6340 

1880 

5242 

1895 

8050 

6ji6 

1885 

5775 

1896 

8017 

65S7 

1886 

6370 

5418 

1897 

8173 

6514 

1887 

6306 

5343 

1898 

8371 

6491 

1888 

6512 

5515 

1899 

8261 

6155 

1889 

6989 

5933 

1900 

8009 

5975 

1890 

7013 

6029 

19OI 

7567 

5632 

189I 

7328 

6006 

1902 

734? 

5410 

1892 

7729 

6360 

1903 

7372 

5628 

135 


136  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

These  figures  are  confessedly  incomplete.  Probably  the  Roman 
Catholic  figures  of  the  early  years  are  the  most  defective,  so  that  the 
actual  increase  in  that  denomination  is  less  than  appears.  The  net 
figures,  however,  give  probably  a  correct  impression. 

It  will  be  seen  that  in  1895  the  maximum  was  reached,  since  which 
time  there  has  been  a  rapid  decline  to  the  figures  of  the  earlier  years. 
Fluctuation  in  numbers  need  not  surprise  us.  This  we  find  in  other 
professions.  Medical  students  declined  from  12,739  in  1882  to  11,059 
in  1885;  law  students,  from  3237  in  1881  to  2744  in  1885.  Such  re- 
fluent waves  of  the  oncoming  tide  are  to  be  expected,  and  they  are 
frequently  seen  in  the  earlier  years  in  the  theological  students.  Still 
this  gives  us  little  little  comfort,  when  we  contemplate  the  complete 
ebb  in  the  roll  of  Protestant  students  of  theology.  Subtract  the  166 
women  in  the  Protestant  seminaries  in  1903,  and  the  108  in  1902,  and 
the  situation  is  still  worse: 

1890,  net  6029. 

1902,  net  5302. 

1903,  net  5462. 

The  population  of  the  country  has  been  growing,  the  number  of 
churches  and  church  members  has  increased  greatly,  and  yet  the  number 
of  male  students  in  the  Protestant  seminaries  of  the  country  in  1903 
was  less  by  567  than  in  1890,  and  less  than  any  year  since  1887,  except 
1902,  when  there  were  were  727  fewer  students  than  in  1890,  and  less 
than  any  year  since  1885. 

A  study  of  the  statistics  of  different  denominations  gives  the  following 
result : 

Baptists.  A  fairly  steady  increase,  notwithstanding  a  slight  drop 
in  1900  and  1902;  from  658  in  1890  to  1095  in  1904. 

Free-will  Baptists.  Great  fluctuation;  54  in  1890,  43  in  1893,  106  in 
1895,  47  in  1900.  and  54  in  1903. 

Congregationalists  A  great  decline;  from  588  in  1890,  and  a  maximum 
of  596  in  1892  to  378  in  1901,  with  slight  recovery  to  393  in  1904 

Disciples.  A  steady  and  large  increase;  from  468  in  1890  to  807  in 
1900  and  997  in  1904. 

Lutherans  (General  Council).  Fluctuation  from  730  in  1890  to  a 
maximum  of  1202  in  1890,  and  a  drop  to  905  in  1903,  with  a  recovery 
o  102 1  in  1904. 

Methodists  (North).  Rise  from  498  in  1890  to  676  in  1900,  falling 
to  612  in  1903. 

Methodists  (South).  Have  but  one  seminary,  which  trains  only  a 
small  per  cent,  of  the  ministers.  This  seminary  shows  an  increase  in 
students,  but  ordinations  have  fallen  off  slightly  since  1898. 


DECLINE  IN  STUDENTS  FOR  THE  MINISTRY  137 

Methodist  Protestant.     Show  decline  to  1897,  then  a  rise. 

Presbyterians  (North).  Including  Union  Seminary  in  the  statistics, 
a  steady  increase  from  786  in  1890  to  a  maximum  of  iioi  in  1895,  then 
an  equally  steady  decline  to  a  minimum  of  726  in  1902,  with  a  slight 
recovery  since. 

Presbyterians  (South).  A  somewhat  narrow  fluctuation ;  from  103 
in  1890  to  194  in  1894,  to  156  in  1900  and  158  in  1903. 

Cnmberland  Presbyterian.  With  only  one  Seminary,  a  wave-like  in- 
crease from  36  in  1890    to  65  in  1898,  and  56  in  1903. 

United  Presbyterian.  From  85  in  1890  to  a  maximum  of  160  in 
1897,  caused  in  part  by  increase  in  women  students,  to  a  minimum  of  84 
in  1903. 

Protestant  Episcopal.  A  wave-like  increase  from  346  in  1890  to  a 
maximum  of  467  in  1898,  then  a  falling  off  to  406  in  1900,  and  a  recovery 
to  437  in  1903. 

Reformed  Church  in  America  (Dutch).  From  45  in  1890  to  a  max- 
imum of  65  in  1898,  then  to  a  minimum  of  42  in  1903. 

United  Brethren.  48  in  1890.  Two  high  points,  — 60  in  1893  and 
59  in  1901;  two  low  points,  — 36  in  1898  and  37  in  1903. 

Universalists.  A  rise  from  68  in  1890  to  100  in  1893,  then  a  large 
decline  to  41  in  1900  and  44  in  1903. 

It  thus  appears  that  there  is  no  uniformity  of  decline.  The  main- 
tenance of  some  denominations,  like  the  Disciples  or  the  Northern  Meth- 
odists, may  be  in  part  accounted  for  by  the  raising  of  the  standard  of 
the  ministry,  which  has  sent  a  larger  proportion  of  ministerial  candi- 
dates to  the  seminaries. 

As  confirmatory  of  this,  it  may  be  noted  that  the  state  universities 
report  very  few  ministerial  students,  Virginia,  with  18  out  of  280; 
having  the  largest  proportion.  The  explanation  given  is  that  those 
planning  to  enter  the  ministry  go,  as  a  rule,  to  denominational  colleges. 

The  large  universities  make  a  very  unfavorable  showing;  Princeton, 
with  over  40  out  of  1286,  being  the  best.  President  Harper  states  that 
out  of  nearly  1200  men  graduating  from  Harvard,  Yale,  Columbia,  and 
Princeton  in  1904,  less  than  30  were  planning  to  enter  the  ministry. 
The  New  England  colleges  afford  a  striking  example  of  decline.  Bates 
reports  seven  ministerial  students  out  of  250;  Colby,  seven  out  of  135; 
Dartmouth,  nine  out  of  830;  Williams,  five  out  of  434.  Institutions 
with  fewer  students,  and  those  in  the  West,  are  the  only  ones  whose 
reports  are  at  all  encouraging. 

We  may  conclude,  then,  that  there  has  been  an  absolute  decline  in 
the  number  of  students  for  the  ministry  in  our  Protestant  churches,  a 


138  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

decline  chiefly  in  college  students  and  among  these  chiefly  from  the 
older,  larger,  and  richer  Eastern  institutions. 

II.  In  answering  our  second  inquiry  as  to  the  causes  for  this  de- 
cline, the  endeavor  has  been  to  get  at  the  motives  now  influencing  young 
men  in  their  decision  as  to  the  ministry.  Instead  of  giving  you  a  sta- 
tistical result,  I  desire  to  reproduce  the  mind  of  the  college  student  of 
to-day  as  he  faces  the  ministry,  as  I  have  learned  it  from  the  study  of 
the  more  than  400  replies  received. 

Bred  in  an  atmosphere  where  everything  is  brought  to  the  test  of 
dollars,  the  young  man  looks  out  upon  life.  The  great  prizes  of  the 
business  world,  and  the  abundant  opportunities  for  success,  stand  out 
in  sharp  contrast  with  the  inadequate  provision  for  the  ministry,  —  its 
small,  pinching  salaries,  the  uncertain  chance  for  advance,  early  super- 
annuation, with  no  provision  for  old  age. 

The  financial  basis  of  the  ministry  is  entirely  different  from  that  of 
other  professions.  In  business  a  fixed  service  brings  a  fixed  salary, — 
fidelity  and  hard  work  are  rewarded,  and  one  feels  that  he  is  responsible 
for  the  size  of  his  salary.  In  the  ministry  the  duties  are  indefinite,  pro- 
motion does  not  at  all  depend  upon  faithful  work,  but  upon  certain 
personal  and  popular  qualities,  the  essential  value  of  which  is  at  least 
questionable.  In  medicine  and  law,  a  given  service  receives  a  recognized 
compensation.  In  the  ministry,  a  man  is  called  to  give  all  his  time  and 
thought  and  then  to  have  his  salary  raised  with  difficulty,  paid  irregu- 
larly and  with  grudging,  giving  him  the  sense  of  being  an  object  of 
charity.  He  has  to  beg  for  his  pay,  and  get  little  at  that.  As  one 
tersely  puts  it;  he  is  to  be  a  pauper  all  his  life. 

Another  group  of  deterrent  reasons  is  based  upon  the  attitude  of 
the  church  toward  the  minister,  its  lack  of  cordial  support,  its  unchari- 
table criticism,  its  hampering  restrictions,  both  to  thought  and  activity, 
the  isolation  and  moral  seclusion  which  comes  to  the  minister. 

Only  a  few  speak  of  the  doctrinal  disturbances,  the  break-up  of  old 
faiths,  so  that  the  student  is  uncertain  as  to  all  belief,  and  feels  that  he 
has  nothing  to  preach.  And  combined  with  this  is  a  fear  lest  one  shall 
lose  his  independence  and  freedom  of  thought. 

No  class  of  deterring  reasons  appears  more  frequently  than  that 
which  concerns  the  general  popular  estimate  of  ministers.  The  average 
student  attitude  toward  the  minister  is  one  of  utter  disregard,  if  not  of 
contempt.  The  ministry  is  of  no  reputation  in  the  university.  It  is 
said  that  the  ministerials  are  not  manly  men;  that  ministers  don't  live 
up  to  their  own  preaching;  that  the  ministry  is  full  of  cheap,  unprepared 
material;  and  that  it  emphasizes  its  small  men  as  other  professions  do  not. 


DECLINE  IN  STUDENTS  FOR  THE  MINISTRY  139 

May  we  ask  now,  How  is  it  that  the  young  man  has  come  to  have 
these  views  of  the  ministry?  We  shall  have  to  admit  that  there  is  a 
great  deal  of  truth  in  what  is  charged  regarding  churches  and  mini- 
sters. The  young  man  sees  part  of  the  situation  accurately.  The 
trouble  is  he  has  a  one-sided  view.  He  does  not  see  clearly  the  great 
compensations  that   balance  criticism  and  hardship  and  self-denial. 

There  has  been  a  decline  in  those  agencies  most  potent  in  the  past 
in  leading  men  to  the  ministry:  home  influence,  the  consecration  of 
sons  to  this  holy  calling,  the  old-time  academy  with  its  constant  pressure 
toward  this  end,  the  pastors  urging  the  claims  of  the  ministry,  the  col- 
lege presenting  the  same  to  its  students.  These  all  have  largely  ceased 
their  activity  in  this  direction,  and  no  other  agencies  have  taken  their 
place.  Hundreds  of  young  men  now  in  other  callings  might  have  been 
turned  to  the  ministry  if  the  matter  had  only  been  presented  to  them. 

Some  blame  —  and  more,  I  fear,  than  we  dare  to  charge  —  must  lie 
at  the  doors  of  our  good  friends  of  the  Y.M.C.A.  Much  as  I  honor  this 
organization,  I  must  speak  this  word  here  among  its  friends.  The 
growth  of  this  movement  has  been  remarkable  in  the  last  twenty  years, 
and  there  has  been  a  great  demand  for  men  to  fill  the  places  of  secre- 
taries, etc.  With  a  perfected  organization  and  a  large  number  of  field 
secretaries,  they  have  been  appealing  to  college  men,  setting  forth  the 
opportunities  in  that  field.  Wherever  they  have  found  a  man  of  es- 
pecial strength,  they  have  laid  siege  to  him  until  they  have  won  him  to 
their  cause.  This  is,  of  course,  perfectly  legitimate,  only  it  is  to  be 
greatly  regretted  that  in  many  cases  it  has  seemed  necessary,  in  order 
to  exalt  their  own  calling,  to  discredit  the  ministry. 

It  needs  to  be  said,  also,  in  kindness,  but  in  frankness,  that  a  potent 
cause  of  this  decline  is  the  attitude  and  expressed  opinion  of  some  now 
in  the  ministry.  The  lazy  minister  complains  of  his  hard  work;  the 
speculative  minister  rants  about  creeds  and  liberty  of  thought;  the 
sensationalist  assails  the  churches,  the  ministers,  and  the  seminaries; 
the  dyspeptic  bewails  the  degeneracy  of  the  times;  some  who  have 
suffered  criticism  retail  their  woes  in  the  press;  and  the  unworthy  man 
parades  himself  before  the  world.  Now,  there  undoubtedly  is  room 
for  criticism  of  creeds,  churches,  and  seminaries,  but  the  spice  added 
to  make  a  readable  article  and  gain  a  hearing  has  surely  given  a  wrong 
impression. 

III.  What  is  the  remedy  for  this  decline  ?  How  may  the  ministry 
be  made  again  attractive  to  the  best  men  in  our  colleges  ?  First,  some 
encouraging  signs:  i.  The  past  year  or  two  shows  a  turning  of  the 
tide  from  the  extreme  low  point.     In   many  denominations  there  is 


I40  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

again  an  increase  in  students  for  the  ministry.  2.  Some  of  the  semi- 
naries have  inaugurated  a  systematic  visitation  of  the  colleges  in  the 
interest  of  the  ministry.  3.  The  Y.  M.  C.  A.  leaders  have  turned  their 
attention  to  this  problem.  The  conferences  on  the  subject  recently 
held  under  the  leadership  of  Mr.  Mott  are  sure  to  be  helpful.  4.  The 
attention  of  the  churches  and  religious  leaders  is  thoroughly  fixed  upon 
the  problem ;  out  of  so  much  thinking  and  discussion  some  good  ought 
surely  to  come. 

The  real  remedy  that  must  in  some  way  be  found  is  to  make  the 
ministry  again  respectable  and  attractive  in  the  eyes  of  the  college  stu- 
dent. How  much  may  be  done  to  remove  the  real  evils  in  the  case,  the 
small  compensation,  the  uncertain  tenure,  the  excessive  criticism,  the 
restraint  of  freedom,  is  not  altogether  clear,  and  will  vary  in  amount 
and  method  in  different  denominations.  But  that  something  ought 
to  be  done  in  this  direction  is  evident,  and  something  is  surely  possible. 
More  important  is  it,  to  correct  the  false  impressions  that  are  abroad, 
and  to  make  the  real  difficulties  seem  small  by  a  positive  presentation 
of  the  great  place  to  be  filled,  and  the  large  work  to  be  accomplished 
in  the  present  age  by  the  well-equipped  consecrated  Christian  minister. 

In  securing  this  result  I  am  convinced  that  the  college  department 
of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  will  be  by  far  the  most  effective  agency.  It  has  a 
thorough  organization;  it  has  the  ear  of  the  college  man,  and  its  ex- 
perience will  enable  it  at  once  to  bring  the  claims  of  the  ministry  effect- 
ively to  bear  upon  the  students.  Let  this  be  done  year  after  year,  and 
we  shall  see  notable  results. 

The  distinct  effort  made  to  have  the  claims  of  the  foreign  field 
pressed  home  upon  the  consciences  of  students  has  produced  the  strik- 
ing result  that  in  many  institutions  the  number  of  student  volunteers 
exceeds  that  of  those  looking  forward  to  the  ministry.  (Harvard,  9  min- 
isters, 12  volunteers;  University  of  IlHnois,  4  ministers,  25  volunteers; 
Ohio  State  University,  2  ministers,  7  volunteers.)  Let  a  similar  effort 
be  made  to  recruit  the  ministry,  and  similar  results  may  be  looked  for. 
If  decisions  for  the  foreign  work  are  expected  from  college  men  and 
secured  in  large  numbers,  there  is  no  reason  why  the  college  period 
should  not  be  fruitful  in  many  decisions  for  the  ministry. 

We  must  create  a  new  sentiment  regarding  the  ministry.  Laymen 
must  learn  to  treat  the  pastor  with  more  reasonable  regard.  Ministers 
must  learn  to  estimate  in  due  proportion  the  real  privilege  and  the  more 
superficial  difficulty.  We  must  all  pray  the  Lord  of  the  harvest  to  send 
forth  laborers,  while  those  who  are  set  as  overseers  in  the  field  must  see 
to  it  that  no  laborers  wait  in  the  market-place  till  the  day  declines  be- 
cause no  one  has  summoned  them  to  the  work. 


DECLINE  IN  STUDENTS  FOR  THE  MINISTRY  141 

Discussion 

PROFESSOR  WILLISTON  WALKER,  Ph.D.,  D.D. 

YALE  DIVINITY  SCHOOL,  NEW  HAVEN,   CONNECTICUT 

An  observation  of  more  than  twenty  years  convinces  me  that  there 
has  been  an  improvement  in  the  quality  of  students  seeking  the  ministry, 
and  that  they  average,  in  mental  ability,  fully  the  equals  of  any  body 
of  students  preparing  for  any  profession.  In  character,  now  as  always, 
their  rank  is,  save  in  the  rarest  instances,  unexceptionable.  So  far  as 
there  has  been  any  change  affecting  the  quahty  of  students,  the  causes 
which  have  led  to  the  diminution  of  the  number  of  theological  candi- 
dates have  probably  worked  towards  improvement.  The  most  con- 
spicuous of  the  causes  of  the  relative  decrease  in  the  number  of  theo- 
logical students  is  the  rise  to  significance  of  other  scholarly  professions 
besides  that  of  the  ministry.  Teaching  and  journalism  are  essentially 
new  professions  in  the  extent  of  the  appeal  which  they  now  make,  and 
the  call,  particularly  of  the  teaching  profession,  is  one  of  exceeding  at- 
tractiveness to  that  very  class  which  would,  most  naturally,  turn  towards 
the  ministry.  The  appeal  of  medicine  and  of  law  is  undoubtedly  much 
greater  than  it  was  forty  years  ago.  The  revolutionary  discoveries  in 
surgery,  the  almost  universal  recognition  of  the  need  of  a  highly  edu- 
cated body  of  physicians,  the  increasing  business  of  the  country  and 
the  consequent  augmentation  of  the  opportunities  of  the  legal  pro- 
fession, have  rendered  the  incentives  to  enter  these  life-callings  much 
greater  than  was  the  case  half,  or  even  a  quarter,  of  a  century  since.  In- 
stead of  being,  as  it  once  was,  the  profession  which  appealed  to  most 
men  of  scholarly  tastes,  ethical  purpose,  and  Christian  character  in  our 
colleges  and  universities,  the  ministry  has  become  only  one  among  sev- 
eral. 

Another  cause,  one  that  is  certainly  remediable,  is  the  short  pastorate. 
Investigation  of  lists  of  graduates  of  our  theological  schools  shows  that 
very  many  have  changed  their  pastorates  once,  at  least,  within  the  last 
three  years,  some  twice,  and  a  few  even  three  times.  It  is  a  natural 
and  justifiable  demand  that  one  who  gives  his  life  to  a  particular  pro- 
fession should  expect  from  that  profession  reasonable  compensation 
and  support.  That  is  not  at  present  the  uniform  prospect  of  the  min- 
istry. It  may  be  questioned  whether  it  is  even  the  average  prospect 
of  the  ministry.  But  no  small  part  of  this  restlessness  leading  to  fre- 
quent ministerial  changes  is  chargeable  to  the  ministry  itself.  The 
minister  can  move  more  readily  than  the  physician  or  the  lawyer,  and 
with  less  loss,  and  therefore  allows  himself  to  entertain  the  hope  of 
bettering  his  position,  or  at  least  avoiding  existing  discomforts  by  a 
change. 


142  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

A  fourth  cause  is  the  change  in  what  is  required  of  a  minister  by 
the  average  congregation.  In  some  respects  this  akeration  is  greatly 
to  his  advantage.  The  minister  is  now  expected  to  touch  common  in- 
terests at  many  points,  to  be  an  organizer  of  aggressive  church  work, 
a  teacher  of  the  young,  a  man  broadly  interested  in  all  that  makes  for 
the  betterment  of  the  community.  Nowadays,  owing  partly  to  the 
great  diffusion  of  entertaining  periodical  literature  and  the  relative  ces- 
sation of  interest  in  doctrinal  exposition,  the  demand  made  of  the  pul- 
pit is  one  which  few  men  can  supply.  Ethical  and  religious  truths  must 
be  made  interesting;  they  must  be  put  in  such  form  as  to  attract 
a  jaded  attention.  The  multiplicity  of  labors  now  expected  of  a  pas- 
tor may  doubtless  be  remedied  in  larger  churches  by  the  increased 
subdivision  of  ministerial  work. 

It  is  evident  that  the  relative  decline  in  the  number  of  ministerial 
students  is  a  phenomenon  in  some  measure  to  be  expected  in  our  transi- 
tional age.  But  some  of  its  most  conspicuous  causes  are  remediable. 
We  need  a  deeper  appreciation  on  the  part  of  the  churches  of  the  dignity 
and  importance  of  the  ministerial  profession.  And  this  increased  appre- 
ciation of  the  dignity  and  significance  of  the  ministry  may  best  be 
wrought  out  by  the  ministry  itself.  It  is  to  be  feared  that  if  a  lower 
estimate  of  the  ministry  now  widely  obtains,  it  is  the  ministry  itself 
which  is  in  considerable  measure  responsible.  We  need  to  insist,  in 
our  own  thought,  upon  the  dignity  and  honor  of  the  caUing  which  is 
ours.  We  need  to  urge  it  upon  young  men,  especially  upon  young  men 
of  wealth,  as  a  service  of  joy,  usefulness,  and  sacrifice,  beyond  any  other 
calling.  Its  claims  are  far  too  infrequently  presented  to  the  young  men 
of  our  schools  and  colleges.  Its  usefulness  and  honorableness  is  too 
seldom  impressed  upon  our  congregations.  These  defects  may  be  reme- 
died and  they  should  be  as  far  as  hes  in  our  power,  for  His  sake  who 
honors  men  by  calling  them  into  His  service  in  the  noblest  of  all  pro- 
fessions,— the  Christian  minister. 


SHALL  A  COMMITTEE  BE  APPOINTED  TO  REPORT  ON 
THE  CURRICULA  OF  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARIES, 
WITH  A  VIEW  TO  ESTABLISHING  LARGER  UNIFORM- 
ITY? 

PROFESSOR  MELANCTHON  W.  JACOBUS,  D.D. 

HARTFORD  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY,  HARTFORD,  CONNECTICUT. 

The  discussion  is  not  as  to  whether  there  is  lack  of  uniformity  in 
the  curricula  of  our  theological  schools.  The  catalogues,  registers,  and 
year-books  published  by  these  schools  are  evidence  enough  of  the  wide 
difference  in  the  selection  of  studies  pursued,  and  the  yet  wider  difference 
in  the  arrangement  of  their  pursuing. 

It  is  a  silent  comment  on  the  unfortunate  separation  among  the  schools 
in  the  work,  which,  after  all,  is  common  to  them,  and  it  is  an  explanation, 
to  a  certain  extent,  of  the  differentiation  in  the  product  which  these 
schools  turn  out  —  a  differentiation  the  effect  of  which  is  unfortunate 
in  the  work  accomplished  by  the  student,  and  the  process  of  which  is 
unfortunate  in  the  work  carried  on  by  the  seminary,  while  it  is  an  expla- 
nation, also,  to  a  certain  extent,  of  the  restlessness  among  the  students, 
that  sends  them  drifting  among  the  seminaries  for  combinations  of 
courses,  the  cost  of  which  is  large  to  the  seminary  in  the  effort  at  study- 
adjustment,  and  to  the  students  themselves  in  the  demoralization  which 
always  comes  from  scattered  and  unclassified  work. 

Confessedly,  it  is  only  a  partial  explanation;  for  both  differentiation 
and  restlessness  are  due  to  many  causes,  some  of  them  in  the  student 
as  well  as  in  the  school,  and  some  lying  much  deeper  in  both  school 
and  student  than  mere  content  and  arrangement  of  studies.  At  this 
point  of  curriculum,  however,  there  does  lie  a  very  definite  cause  for 
both  evils,  so  that  we  are  justified  in  saying  that  our  question  is  one 
which  concerns  both  student  and  seminary,  and  merits,  on  our  part,  not 
only  a  careful  consideration,  but  also  as  hearty  an  attempt  as  is  possible 
to  bring  it  to  its  best  answer. 

This  best  answer,  I  am  convinced,  lies  in  the  direction  of  the  appoint- 
ment of  such  a  committee  as  is  proposed.  The  reasons  for  my  convic- 
tion are: 

I.  The  fact,  already  noted  and  patent  to  us  all,  of  the  sweeping 
differences  which  now  exist  among  the  curricula  of  the  seminaries,  and 
the  inevitable  separation  which  these  differences  cause.  Years  ago, 
doubtless,  such  separation  would  have  been  considered    the   proper 

143 


144  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

denominational  thing.  It  would  not  have  been  thought  possible  that 
credal  dogmatics  could  be  taught,  and  a  sectarian  ministry  prepared 
for,  without  a  relative  institutional  isolation.  In  fact,  it  is  largely 
because  of  what  obtained  ecclesiastically  a  generation  ago  that  we  have 
the  present  pedagogical  situation.  But  not  only  has  denominationalism 
lost  to  a  large  extent  its  separating  power,  we  are  coming  upon  an  era 
of  widespread  thoughtful  evangelism  in  which  the  common  service  of 
the  kingdom  will  emphasize  the  need,  I  do  not  say  of  an  identical  prep- 
aration for  this  service,  since  this  would  be  impracticable  and  most 
unwise  but  of  a  preparation  which  shall  carry  with  it  as  large  a  sense 
as  possible  of  community  of  purpose,  and  as  large  a  fact  as  possible 
of  fellowship  of  process;  for  these  things  make  the  strength  of  a  common 
service  to  a  common  cause. 

II.  The  fact  of  the  student  restlessness  among  the  seminaries,  and  its 
inevitable  annoyance  to  the  institution  and  demoralization  to  the  man. 

I  am  well  aware  that  there  are  not  a  few  educators  who  hold  the 
student  to  be  best  prepared  who  has  carried  through  his  preparation 
on  the  eclectic  principle  —  a  study  here  and  a  study  there,  a  teacher 
here  and  a  teacher  there,  a  seminary  here  and  a  seminary  there  —  and 
many  things  everywhere,  and  some  things  nowhere.  I  am  not  disposed 
to  deny  the  value  of  this  method,  especially  as  I  have  seen  some  excellent 
results  which  have  issued  from  it  —  men  taken  out  of  a  narrow  en- 
vironment in  which  all  education  had  been  carried  on  up  to  college 
graduation,  and  put  into  a  broader  contact  with  men  and  minds,  in 
order  that  their  preparation  might  be  one  which  would  fit  them  for  a 
living  service  in  a  life  work.  This  is  not  a  bad  thing,  if  it  be  not  carried 
to  a  frittering  extreme.  It  is  a  thing  to  be  encouraged  if  it  can  be  safe- 
guarded and  controlled.  But  the  case  must  be  an  urgent  one  which 
would  justify  the  study  cost  to  the  student  and  the  teaching  cost  to  the 
seminary  which  this  process  now  involves.  A  relative  uniformity  of 
curricula  would  reduce  the  cost  to  both  parties  concerned,  would  make 
the  process  possible  in  many  cases  where  now  it  cannot  be  enjoyed, 
and  would  reduce  to  a  minimum  the  student  restlessness  which  now 
exists  because  a  seminary  rivalry,  by  strange  devices  of  encylcopsedia 
and  stranger  arts  of  schedule,  seems  to  throw  discredit  on  all  curricula 
which  are  not  measured  to  one  local  line. 

III.  The  fact,  not  yet  mentioned,  and  perhaps  not  wholly  manifest 
to  all  even  when  mentioned,  but  true  nevertheless,  that  what  would  be 
aimed  at  in  such  a  uniformity  would  be  simply  a  common  background 
on  which  necessary  modifications  might  be  placed  without  disturbing 
effect. 


CURRICULA  OF  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARIES  145 

To  one  who  gives  careful  study  to  the  curricula  which  now  exist,  it 
must  be  clear  that  the  largest  evil  in  them  is  not  the  mere  fact  of  their 
comprehensive  variations,  but  the  fact  that  these  variations  involve  to 
a  great  extent  an  unscientific  encyclopaedia.  Obviously,  in  the  student's 
preparation  for  the  ministry  there  is  a  sequence  of  studies  which  is 
pedagogically  right.  If  he  is  to  study  his  Bible  at  first-hand,  languages 
must  be  given  him  at  the  start,  as  his  tools  of  work.  If  he  is  to  study 
his  Bible  historically,  criticism  must  be  given  him  before  his  exegesis. 
If  he  is  to  make  his  theology  the  product  of  his  Bible  study,  there  must 
be  a  certain  arrangement  in  which  exegesis.  Biblical  theology,  and 
Biblical  dogmatics  will  furnish  him,  in  their  order,  the  interpretative 
materials  from  which  he  is  to  formulate  his  theological  conclusions. 
Any  other  arrangement  will  result,  for  example,  in  giving  him  a  poor 
exegesis  because  of  an  imperfect  language,  or  in  confusing  him  with 
placing  the  historical  foundation  of  his  exegesis  on  top  of  it  instead  of 
underneath  it,  or  in  imposing  his  theology  upon  his  interpretation  in- 
stead of  drawing  it  from  his  interpretation.  Unfortunately,  the  curricula 
of  our  schools  present  no  such  uniform  arrangement.  With  some,  the  lan- 
guage work  is  not  completed  in  the  first  year,  but  drags  itself  along 
with  grammar  and  lexicon  into  the  later  parts  of  the  course.  With 
many,  criticism  does  not  come  until  exegesis  is  well  on  its  way  —  in  one 
instance  being  reserved,  in  its  Old  Testament  department,  until  senior 
year,  when  it  is  made  a  required  study.  With  not  a  few,  theology  is 
begun  at  once,  and,  save  when  delayed,  is  not  prepared  for  with  any- 
thing more  than  a  hurried  exegesis,  the  object  of  which  seems  to  be 
rather  the  covering  of  ground  than  the  drill  in  interpretative  method. 
Evidently,  if  nothing  more  were  to  be  accomplished  by  the  proposed  com- 
mittee than  a  uniformity  of  encyclopaedia,  enough  benefit  would 
accrue  to  the  seminaries  and  their  students  to  more  than  justify  the 
committee's  labor;  for  it  would  not  only  help  the  work  which  the  indi- 
vidual seminary  is  trying  to  do  with  its  own  students,  but,  in  case  of 
student  transfer  from  one  seminary  to  another,  it  would  remove  the 
greatest  cause  of  institutional  annoyance  in  adjustment  of  schedule, 
and  the  largest  source  of  student  irritation  in  demoralization  of  work. 
But,  on  this  basis  of  uniform  encyclopaedia  there  would  lie  before  the 
committee  the  possibility  of  proposing  an  outline  content  of  study,  which 
might  be  a  valuable  suggestion  to  many  of  the  smaller  schools  and  a  not 
altogether  unnecessary  correction  to  some  of  the  larger  schools.  For 
it  is  quite  evident  that  the  year-books  before  us  show  not  only  that  the 
smaller  school  curricula  could  be  greatly  enriched  without  cost  to  the 
management,  or  much  effort  on  the  part  of  the  faculty,  but  that  the 


146  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

larger  school  curricula  are,  in  not  a  few  cases,  tending  in  the  direction 
of  such  over-speciaUzation  of  work  as  threatens  that  very  interrelation 
of  studies  which  encyclopaedia  designs  to  secure.  There  are  such  things 
as  fads,  even  in  theological  education,  and  the  temptation  to  develop 
a  passing  popular  course  of  study  into  disproportionate  size  is  great, 
while  the  yielding  to  it  is  certain  to  work  harm  to  that  cultural  spirit  of 
education  which  should  obtain  in  the  preparation  of  men  for  the  min- 
istry, if  it  obtains  anywhere  at  all. 

The  chance  which  the  proposed  committee  would  have  to  suggest 
ways  for  the  correcting  of  the  above  evils,  and  the  consequent  strength- 
ening of  the  seminaries  at  the  points  where  they  are  best  doing  their 
work,  seems  to  me  to  be  good  reason  why  the  committee  should  be 
appointed. 


IV    CHURCHES  AND  PASTORS 


EDUCATIONAL   AIMS   OF   THE    CHURCH 

Christ  as  a  Teacher 

REV.  D.  A.  GOODSELL,  D.D.,  S.T.  D.,  LL.  D., 

RESIDENT  METHODIST  EPISCOPAL  BISHOP  OF  NEW  ENGLAND 

Christ  as  a  teacher  antedated  Christ  as  the  Redeemer.  The 
Sermon  on  the  Mount  to  the  multitude,  the  doctrine  of  the  new  birth 
to  Nicodemus,  of  the  spirituaHty  of  God  and  of  true  worship  to  the 
woman  at  the  well,  came  before  the  "  It  is  finished  "  of  the  cross.  Be- 
cause they  came  before  the  death  of  our  Lord  they  are  not  separated 
from  it.  They  lead  up  to  it  as  nerves  to  the  brain;  they  are  illuminated 
by  it  as  the  path  is  which  leads  to  the  light.  Sin  has  burrowed  so  deeply 
into  humanity;  has  so  completely  infected  it,  and  is  so  much  the  great 
obstacle  to  the  incoming  of  the  Truth,  that  it  is  no  wonder  that  the 
Church  has  given  so  much  emphasis  to  the  changing  of  moral  con- 
ditions, rather  than  emphasizing  the  founding  of  a  school  by  our  Lord 
and  pressing  reUgious  education  as  a  preparation  for  regeneration. 
There  is  no  division  among  us  as  to-  the  necessity  of  education  in 
religion,  or  as  to  the  teaching  duty  of  the  Church  or  that  the  Church 
must  be  the  school  of  Christ.  Because  this  has  been  faultily  measured, 
we  have  such  misconceptions  of  the  church  among  some  Christians 
and  among  some  of  those  who  yield  no  allegiance  to  the  Church. 

It  seems  certain  that  the  Holy  Spirit  in  many  cases,  both  in  Chris- 
tian and  non-Christian  lands,  anticipates  Christian  teaching  by  a  vision  of 
personal  need  and  of  the  relations  of  the  essential,  if  not  the  historical, 
Christ  to  the  soul.  In  this  way  were  and  are  built  up  the  souls  of 
whom  Peter  said:  "  In  every  nation  he  that  feareth  him  and  worketh 
righteousness  is  accepted  with  him."  That  this  is  God's  way  for  all 
is  not  to  be  believed.  Our  Master  was  a  tireless  teacher.  It  is  a 
question  whether  he  gave  his  greatest  truths  in  his  sermon,  to  the  mul- 
titude or  to  the  single  soul.  He  gave  a  body  of  truth  to  men.  He 
connected  it  with  all  things  great  and  small  in  his  material  kingdom. 
The  lantern  of  the  virgin,  the  broom  of  the  sweeper,  the  search  for 
the  penny,  the  yeast  of  the  housewife,  the  seed  of  the  sower,  the  lost 
sheep,  the  wayside  grain,  the  lovely  flower,  the  wayward  wind,  were  all 
allied  and  all  explained.  He  was  the  first  Christian  author  on  nature 
and  the  supernatural,  and  on  natural  law  in  the  spiritual  world. 

147 


148  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

I  have  thought  that  as  teachers  we  have  lost  power  by  neglecting 
the  Master's  method.  Our  Fathers  in  all  the  churches  feared  lest  they 
humbled  the  spiritual  in  making  it  seem  natural.  So  they  harked 
away  to  history  and  to  difficult  philosophizing,  to  schoolmen's  subtle- 
ties of  logic  and  casuistry,  gathering  illustrations  from  what  the  masses 
do  not  and  cannot  know;  obtaining  much  repute  for  learning  and 
profundity;  preaching  to  the  twentieth  man  while  the  nineteen  slept, 
"  enduring  hardness  "  with  a  patience  they  thought  to  be  a  means  of 
grace.  A  proof  of  the  divinity  of  Christianity  is  that  it  has  survived 
some  of  the  teaching  of  its  modern  teachers. 

Further,  the  condition  of  our  modern  life  take  the  priest  of  the  family 
from  his  home  before  the  children  wake;  mothers  in  such  families 
have  as  little  time  for  being  a  Lois  or  a  Eunice  as  the  fathers  have 
for  being  family  priests.  So  much  of  that  sweet  and  noble  religious 
work  of  father  and  mother  which  some  of  us  recall  a  half-century  and 
more  ago  has  ceased;  has  been  put  into  the  hands  of  the  secular  and 
the  Sunday  school  teacher,  who  is  often  without  knowledge  of  life,  and 
sometimes  without  religious  depth  or  experience.  Yet  I  must  believe 
that  the  cases  of  gross  ignorance  of  Christian  history  and  doctrine  in 
well-grown  boys  and  college  students  are  chiefly  from  those  homes 
that  are  not  Christian  in  any  other  sense  than  that  they  exist  in  a  Chris- 
tian community. 

That  the  moral  bond  which  holds  society  together  must  be  forged 
by  some  stronger  force  than  convenience  or  natural  ethics,  I  fully  be- 
lieve. "  Thou  God  seest  me  "  is  a  nobler  restraint  than  "  My  neigh- 
bor or  the  police  will  see  me."  The  man  who  is  really  good  is  the  one 
whose  heart  is  toward  good  because  of  his  obligation  to  the  Good  One, 
God.  This  obligation  does  not  vary.  It  does  not  yield  to  weakness 
— to  business  trickery,  to  the  example  of  others.  It  would  not  vary 
if  the  state  passed  from  individualism  to  socialism.  It  is  as  firm  in 
the  night  as  in  the  day,  as  lofty  alone  as  in  the  multitude.  This  obli- 
gation cannot  be  truly  perceived  or  be  effectively  binding  without 
the  "  washing  of  regeneration."  To  the  soul  thus  changed^  the 
ethical  is  the  important,  the  all-important. 


The  Church  as  an  Educator 
REV.  ALBERT  W.  HITCHCOCK 

PASTOR  CENTRAL  CONGREGATIONAL  CHURCH,   WORCESTER,  MASSACHUSETTS 

After  the  father  of  the  family,  the  priest  was  the  first  teacher  of 
mankind.  Every  great  religion  has  been  an  educator  of  the  people. 
A  thousand  years  before  our  era,  the  Parashade  for  training  Brahman 


EDUCATIONAL  AIMS  OF  THE  CHURCH  149 

youth  were  scattered  over  India.  Excavation'^in^the^Euphrates  val- 
ley reveals  the  Babylonian  libraries  annexed  to  their  temples.  Bud- 
dha was  called  the  "  Teacher,"  and  his  temples  are  still  the  only  schools 
for  multitudes.  The  mosque  has  been  for  centuries  the  college  and  the 
library  of  Islam,  and  Mohammedan  scholars  once  preserved  for  us 
the  learning  of  the  East,  through  a  crisis  in  the  Christian  Church. 
The  Hebrews  made  education  a  religious  duty,  and  religion  the  cHmax 
of  education.  Jesus  Christ  was  pre-eminently  a  teacher.  He  gathered 
his  school  of  twelve  about  him,  and  with  his  last  commandment  sent 
them  forth  to  teach  all  nations  in  His  name.  That  commission  they 
delivered  to  all  who  came  after  them.  Not  only  has  the  Church  main- 
tained her  own  inner  culture,  but  by  force  of  her  truest  genius  she  has 
made  the  cause  of  general  intelligence  her  charge  out  of  a  deep  neces- 
sity. 

A  recognized  order  of  teachers  appeared  in  the  earliest  of  the 
churches.  Within  a  century  catechetical  schools  grew  up  to  fit  ap- 
plicants for  membership  in  the  Church.  Schools  of  more  elaborate 
culture  developed  from  these  training  classes,  as  at  Alexandria,  to 
prepare  teachers  and  preachers  for  the  rapidly  extending  propagan- 
da. A  religion  with  a  book  was  of  necessity  an  educational  force 
wherever  it  went. 

For  centuries,  whatever  of  education  Europe  offered  was  admin- 
istered by  the  Church.  Ulfilas,  Martin  of  Tours,  Nestorius,  and  Patrick 
stand  among  the  earliest  champions  of  education.  From  the  council  of 
Constantinople  in  680,  when  it  was  decreed  that  bishops  and  priests  every- 
where should  provide  schools  free  of  cost  for  the  poor,  and  at  proper 
charges  for  those  better  endowed,  education  was  the  acknowledged 
duty  of  the  Church,  although  these  decrees  were  expressions  of  an 
ideal  rather  than  the  assurance  of  actual  facts. 

Charlemagne  provided  public  schools,  grammar  schools,  and  semi- 
naries, and  required  that  these  be  sustained  by  cathedral  and  mon- 
astery. He  gathered  about  him  wise  men  like  Alcuin  of  York  and 
Ansgar,  and  scores  of  others  caught  the  contagion  of  high  resolve  and 
devotion.  The  torch  was  handed  from  man  to  man  across  the  Conti- 
nent and  down  the  centuries.  The  cathedrals  and  monasteries  were 
the  solitary  seats  of  culture  until  the  universities  and  the  New  Learn- 
ing appeared,  and  these  also  found  a  welcome  and  their  early  nuture 
in  the  Church.  All  the  professions  were  wholly  in  the  hands  of  the 
clergy  until  the  sixteenth  century.  The  first  layman  to  be  seated  in 
a  professor's  chair  at  any  university  won  the  right  in  1482,  after  a 
severe  struggle.     Indeed,  the  formative  purpose  of  the  European  uni- 


I50  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

versities  was  the  same  that  gave  birth  to  our  American  colleges, — pro- 
vision for  an  educated  clergy. 

What  the  Renaissance  began  the  Reformation  carried  out,  and 
education  broadened  in  its  purpose  to  provide  for  all  who  cared  to 
study.  The  note  of  universality  was  given  to  the  universities.  Wher- 
ever the  Reformed  faith  prevailed,  sciences  were  freely  studied  and  a 
broader  range  was  given  to  thought.  If  direct  control  by  the  clergy 
was  less  evident,  the  spirit  of  the  Church  still  ruled  in  the  centers  of 
learning  under  patronage  of  the  state  or  of  laymen,  as  truly  as  where 
the  hierarchy  dominated  classroom  and  faculty. 

Under  the  impulse  of  a  counter-reformation,  the  Jesuits  organized 
a  teaching  body,  the  like  of  which  the  world  has  never  seen,  and  for  a 
century  controlled  the  education  of  Roman  Catholics,  and  largely  also 
of  Protestant  youth.  The  Bible  appeared  in  the  tongue  of  the 
common  people,  and  free  learning  always  follows  the  Bible  among  the 
people.  Popular  education  became  as  much  the  duty  of  the  Prot- 
estant churches  as  preaching  or  worship.  If  the  care  of  the  school 
and  university  was  handed  over  to  the  state,  so  was  the  care  of  reli- 
gion, in  Germany  and  England,  in  Holland  and  the  northern  countries. 
But  it  was  done  with  the  understanding  that  the  State  was  Christian, 
and  would  safeguard  the  interests  of  the  Church  in  school  and  con- 
gregation alike. 

In  our  own  country,  Massachusetts  Bay  Colony  had  hardly  estab- 
lished itself  before  those  wise,  foreseeing  Puritans  planned  their  com- 
mon schools.  The  pastors  were  their  first  teachers,  and  when  John 
Harvard  endowed  the  college  lest  there  should  arise  "  an  ilHterate 
ministry  to  the  churches  when  our  present  minister  shall  lie  in  the  dust," 
the  entire  Church  spoke  through  him.  It  has  been  speaking  ever  since, 
through  Yale,  Bowdoin,  Trinity,  Wesleyan,  Amherst,  and  Williams, 
and  Dartmouth,  every  one  of  them  the  product  of  its  spirit  and  self- 
sacrificing  bounty;  through  Oberlin  and  Marietta,  Beloit  and  Grin- 
nell,  Fargo  and  Drury,  Colorado  Springs,  and  the  Christian  colleges 
of  the  western  slope.  What  power  has  cared  for  negro  education  at 
Fiske  and  Hampton,  Atlanta  and  Tuskegee,  Howard  and  Tougaloo, 
and  Straight?  The  Indian  has  been  uplifted,  not  by  the  government 
agent,  but  by  the  Christian  teacher.  Surely,  the  Church  is  still  the 
educator  of  the  nation.  This  educational  impulse  is  deep  and  strong 
in  Christianity.    It  is  a  part  of  its  very  life. 

Dealing  with  religious  natures,  the  Church  has  carried  on  an  inner 
training  of  emotion,  intellect,  and  will  through  her  ritual  and  preaching. 
The  forms  of  her  worship  that  were  gradually  wrought  out,  sensuous. 


EDUCATIONAL  AIMS  OF  THE  CHURCH  151 

mystical,  appealing,  had  their  reason  in  their  educational  value.  Wor- 
ship became  a  school  for  the  emotions  and  a  stimulus  to  the  imagina- 
tion. When  it  ended  there,  this  partial  training  gave  an  arrested  de- 
velopment that  left  its  pupils  children  still.  When  the  pulpit  has  been 
silent,  men  have  fallen  away  from  the  Church,  and  its  influence  has 
waned.  Preaching  has  an  intimate  and  essential  part  to  play  in  the 
instruction  of  the  Church.  The  great  preachers  have  been  teachers 
of  the  people,  from  St.  Paul  to  Phillips  Brooks. 

It  is  too  late  now  to  insist  upon  the  duty  of  parents  to  teach  their  own 
children  in  religious  things.  Not  all  children  have  religious  parents. 
Christian  people  have  become  so  accustomed  to  assign  the  function  of 
teaching  to  others,  that  they  are  too  ignorant  and  unwilling  to  attempt 
the  task.  It  is  safer  to  hand  the  average  child  over  to  such  teachers 
as  the  Church  can  muster,  than  to  leave  him  to  the  indifference  and 
neglect  of  his  home.  To  ask  the  state  to  do  this  work  of  religious  educa- 
tion is  to  ask  the  impossible  at  present.  For  many  years  to  come,  this 
essential  part  of  education  must  be  administered  by  the  Church  out- 
side the  schools,  as  a  sacred  trust  imposed  upon  it  by  the  state.  Re- 
ligious teaching  we  must  have,  and  at  least  upon  a  par  with  that  given 
to  our  children  in  other  branches  of  culture.  Our  equipment  for  it, 
desultory  and  incomplete,  should  be  made  as  excellent  as  that  pro- 
vided by  the  state.  We  are  the  state,  and  we  are  not  doing  all  of  our 
duty  if  we  fail  to  provide  the  best  facilities  for  the  religious  education 
of  our  children. 

Much  has  been  done  to  meet  the  demand  for  better  religious  in- 
struction. I  have  recently  made  investigation  of  present  conditions 
throughout  the  Northern  states.  Out  of  1,200  inquiries  equally  divided 
among  Baptists,  Congregationalists,  Methodists,  and  Presbyterians, 
it  is  significant  that  responses  came  from  one-half.  190  Congrega- 
tional, 150  Presbyterian,  123  Methodist,  and  121  Baptist  answers  were 
of  use.  In  reply  to  the  first  question,  "  In  preaching,  do  you  seek 
definitely  to  teach,  or  rather  to  inspire  ?"  The  usual  answer  was  "Both,"' 
but  the  emphasis  was  clearly  placed  upon  teaching.  I  learned  that  63 
per  cent,  of  the  Baptists  sending  data,  55  per  cent  of  the  Congrega- 
tionalists, 51  per  cent  of  the  Methodists,  and  52  per  cent  of  the  Presby- 
terians teach  regular  classes  in  Sunday  school,  while  enough  more 
serve  as  substitute  teachers  to  increase  the  ratio  to  70  per  cent  for  the 
first,  and  60  per  cent  for  the  other  three  denominations.  Of  them  all, 
only  21  teach  in  junior  or  primary  grades.  The  International  Lessons 
are  in  use  by  68  per  cent  of  Baptists,  49  per  cent  of  Congregationalists, 
80  per  cent  of  Methodists,  and  67  per  cent  of  Presbyterians  who  sent 
in  replies. 


IS2  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

Pastor's  classes  outside  of  Sunday  School  are  reported  by  35  per 
cent,  of  Baptists,  63  per  cent,  of  Congregationalists,  25  per  cent,  of 
Methodists,  and  30  per  cent,  of  Presbyterians;  but  very  few  of  the  Bap- 
tist classes  are  the  catechumen  classes  covered  in  the  question.  Con- 
gregationalists report  47  original  courses  and  many  published  lessons 
and  catechisrhs.  Three  Baptists,  42  Congregationalists,  31  Methodists, 
and  50  Presbyterians  use  catechisms,  but  the  last  two  sects  teach  them 
in  Sunday  school,  and  Congregationalists  generally  make  the  catechism 
an  outline  rather  than  a  task  for  the  memory.  Fifteen  different  cat- 
echisms are  named. 

A  large  number  of  pastors  engage  in  various  sorts  of  teaching  out- 
side of  Sunday  school  and  the  catechumen's  class.  Some  make  the  mid- 
week service  their  opportunity,  others  employ  the  young  people's  meet- 
ing for  teaching,  fewer  hold  teachers'  meetings,  more  than  twice  as 
many  hold  week-day  Bible  classes,  and  26  report  mission  study  classes, 
equally  divided  between  Congregationalists  and  all  the  rest.  New 
Testament  Greek,  literature,  music,  philosophy,  history,  and  sociology 
are  also  taught.  While  few  report  thoroughgoing  plans  for  a  distinctly 
educational  ministry,  the  influence  of  so  much  teaching  and  of  the 
definite  intention  to  make  their  preaching  educational  rather  than  sim- 
ply inspirational  must  be  of  value  in  strengthening  the  influence  of 
the  Church  in  the  community. 


Culture  Courses  in  Churches 

REV.  E.  E.  CHIVERS,  D.D. 

FIELD  SECRETARY  AMERICAN  BAPTIST  HOME  MISSIONARY   SOCIETY,   NEW  YORK  CITY 

About  twelve  years  ago  the  Baptist  Young  People's  Union  of  Amer- 
ica inaugurated  a  comprehensive  series  of  Biblical  and  missionary 
studies,  in  four-year  periods,  for  the  young  people  of  that  denomination. 
The  Biblical  studies,  in  thirty  lessons  a  year,  treated  such  topics  as 
"  Preparations  for  the  Messiah,"  "  The  Life  and  Teachings  of  Jesus," 
"  The  Labors  and  Letters  of  the  Apostles,"  "  Struggles  for  Distinc- 
tive Principles,"  "  Doctrines  of  our  Faith,"  "  The  Christian  Life." 
These  studies  were  prepared  by  men  of  recognized  scholarship,  and 
were  taken  by  thousands- of  young  people — by  many,  it  is  true,  in  a 
very  superficial  way,  by  others  with  earnest  purpose.  The  benefit  of 
these  studies  to  multitudes  of  young  people,  and  to  the  churches  of 
which  they  were  members,  is  beyond  question.  To  many  they  came 
as  a  revelation,  broadening  the  horizon,  giving  men  vision  of  the  one 
increasing  purpose  of  divine  salvation,  confirming  faith,  enriching 
experience,  and  stimulating  to  intelligent  service.     Pastors  found  men 


EDUCATIONAL  AIMS  OF  THE  CHURCH  153 

and  efficient  helpers,  and  received  for  themselves  intellectual  stimulus. 
The  topic  of  study  for  the  current  year  is  "  Great  Christian  Truths," 
the  lessons  being  prepared  by  Edward  Judson,  D.  D.,  with  "  Sugges- 
tions for  Collateral  Study  "  by  Spencer  B.  Meeser,  D.  D.  It  is  grati- 
fying to  know  that  six  thousand  of  the  pamphlets  containing  instal- 
ments of  these  lessons  are  being  sent  out  monthly.  Lessons  on  the 
same  topics  in  simplified  forms  are  issued  for  juniors. 

This  represents  a  kind  of  work  which  may  be  pursued  in  the  churches 
at  large.  Wliile  this  great  organization,  the  Religious  Education  As- 
sociation, is  bringing  forth  and  proclaiming  its  lofty  ideals,  formulat- 
ing its  comprehensive  plans,  and  seeking  to  co-ordinate  the  agencies 
for  religious  education,  there  are  some  practical  forms  in  which  the 
work  of  education  may  be  carried  on  now  in  our  churches.  We  can 
inauguarate  — 

1 .  A  New  Method  of  Bible  Study 

There  are  multitudes  of  people  in  our  churches  whose  treatment  of 
the  Bible  is  strangely  out  of  harmony  with  their  professions  concerning 
it.  They  profess  to  regard  it  as  the  authoritative  and  supreme  revela- 
tion of  God;  yet  they  are  content  with  a  fragmentary  and  superficial 
knowledge  of  it,  which  they  would  be  ashamed  to  confess  in  regard  to 
any  text-book  that  they  need  in  the  school.  The  progress  of  historical 
criticism  has  made  it  possible  for  us  to  read  and  interpret  the  book 
along  these  lines  to  an  extent  and  with  a  certainty  never  before  pos- 
sible. In  the  light  of  historical  criticism  the  messages  of  the  old  prophets 
stand  out  with  new  significance;  we  have  a  new  vision  of  the  historical 
Christ  and  of  the  meaning  of  his  teachings  and  of  those  of  the  Apostles; 
we  can  read  the  book  with  new  discrimination  as  to  its  values.  Here 
is  a  door  of  opportunity  through  which,  surely,  a  pastor  should  seek  to 
lead  his  people — as  many  as  will,  and  especially  the  young.  Such  a 
culture  course  would  quicken  new  interest  in  Bible  study;  it  would 
invest  the  old  book  with  a  new  charm;  it  would  furnish  a  broader 
base  for  religious  experience  and  put  underneath  faith  a  deeper,  stronger 
foundation;  it  would  meet  the  scientific  temper  and  intellectual  de- 
mands of  our  times;  it  would  be  in  harmony  with  the  methods  to 
which  our  young  people  are  accustomed  in  the  schools,  but  which 
they  so  often  miss  in  the  church,  and  might  thus  help  to  check  the  ten- 
dency to  alienation  from  the  church.     There  is  need  of  — 

2.  A  Course  in  Christian  Ethics 

Religion  aims  at  right  living.  It  is  more  than  creed;  it  is  more  than 
a  ritual;  it  is  more  than  a  rapture;  it  is  more  than  a  round  of  activities. 


154  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

It  is  essentially  a  life.  Christian  truth  is  not  a  tinted  but  vaporous 
cloud  to  be  gazed  at  and  speculated  about  as  an  apocalypse  in  the  air; 
it  is  an  inspiration  that  expresses  itself  in  right  living  and  impels  to  hon- 
orable conduct  in  all  life's  relations. 

The  trend  of  thought  in  our  time  is  distinctly  towards  the  more 
ethical  conception  of  Christianity.  Less  value  is  attached  to  emotional 
frames  of  mind  or  to  dogmatic  statements  of  belief,  and  more  to  right- 
eousness in  life. 

Here,  again,  is  a  wide  field  and  an  open  door  of  opportunity.  The 
true  ethical  life  has  been  defined  as  "  the  fulfillment  of  all  personal  rela- 
tions." These  relations  are  not  only  manifold,  but  also  in  many  cases 
delicate  and  perplexing,  calling  for  keen  discernment  and  discrimina- 
tion. There  is  need  of  clearness  of  vision,  sanity  of  judgment,  strength 
of  principle,  sensitiveness  of  conscience,  and,  above  all,  of  supreme 
loyalty  to  God.  The  pastor  who  leads  his  people — as  many  as  will, 
and  especially  the  young — in  an  orderly  and  comprehensive  way,  to  'b 
clear  vision  of  their  personal  relations  and  duties,  and  to  an  application 
of  Christian  principles  to  those  relations,  is  performing  an  invaluable 
service,  which  will  bear  fruit  in  attainment  in  "  the  pure  art  of  living." 
There  is  room  and  need,  also,  of  — 

3.  A  Course  of  Training  in  Forms  and  Methods  of  Christian  Work 
There  are  multitudes  of  people  in  the  churches  who  would  willingly 
engage  in  some  form  of  active,  beneficent  ministry — and  this  is  espe- 
cially true  of  our  young  people — if  they  only  knew  what,  and  where, 
and  how.  They  listen  to  exhortations  to  service;  the  feeling  and  the 
will  are  stirred  by  the  appeal;  they  are  ready  to  engage  in  active  ser- 
vice; but  in  the  absence  of  definite  statement  they  do  not  know  how  to 
act  intelligently.  They  need  to  be  taught  the  breadth  and  many- 
sidedness  of  Christian  work;  the  religious  value  of  any  really  useful 
work,  special  forms  of  service  in  the  church  and  in  the  community  which 
offer  scope  for  religious  activity,  with  wise  methods  for  the  expression 
of  activity. 

No  pastor  who  seeks  to  secure  an  all-round  religious  culture  for 
his  people  will  fail  to  provide  some  method  for  — 

4.  A  Study  of  Missions 
This  will  broaden  the  horizon,  enlarge  the  sympathies,  bring  into 
closer  fellowship  with  the  thought  and  purpose  and  mission  of  Christ, 
and  lead  to  a  new  interest  in  and  a  new  interpretation  of  ciurent  events 
and  world-movements,  as  being  related  to  the  progress  of  the  kingdom 
of  God  upon  earth. 


EDUCATIONAL  AIMS  OF  THE  CHURCH  155 

But  I  can  not  further  particularize.  I  have  indicated  simply  some 
of  the  lines  along  which  it  is  quite  practicable  for  the  pastor  to  lead 
his  people,  and  in  so  doing  to  contribute  to  the  development  of  Chris- 
tian character  and  efficiency.  Difficulties  will,  of  course,  suggest 
themselves,  but  none  that  are  insurmountable.  Not  all  pastors,  in- 
deed, are  qualified,  either  temperamentally  or  mentally,  for  the  specific 
work  of  teaching;  but  in  many  who  seem  to  possess  no  special  aptitude 
there  is  latent  faculty  that  might  be  developed  by  doing.  WTiere  pas- 
tors lack  the  gift,  the  services  of  others  may  often  be  enlisted.  It  may 
be  said  that  the  time  and  strength  of  busy  pastors  are  already  over- 
taxed with  multitudinous  duties  and  cares.  A  revision  of  plans  of  work 
may  be  necessary,  and  some  things  of  lesser  moment  and  value  be  set 
aside  in  order  that  the  larger  claims  of  religious  culture  may  be  met. 
It  may  be  said  further,  that  comparatively  few  of  the  people  will  enter 
upon  any  such  courses  as  have  been  outlined.  Granting  that,  the 
investment  of  time  and  strength  and  personality  in  the  training  of  the 
few  may  in  the  long  run  yield  larger  returns  in  the  kingdom  than  any 
other  that  can  be  made. 


Discussion 


REV.  EDWARD  CUMMINGS 

PASTOR  SOUTH  CONGREGATIONAL  CHURCH  (UNITARIAN)  OF  BOSTON     CAMBRIDGE, 


MASSACHUSETTS 


What  is  needed  more  than  anything  else  is  the  kind  of  instruction 
which  teaches  us  to  write  History  with  a  large  H  and  Nature  with  a 
large  N.  Write  your  history  that  way,  and  immediately  the  unhappy 
distinction  between  sacred  history  and  profane  history,  between 
things  sacred  and  things  secular,  disappears  —  just  as  the  unhappy 
conflict  between  religion  and  science  vanishes  when  we  learn  to  write 
Nature  with  a  large  N.  There  is  no  reason  why  this  proposition  should 
seem  strange  or  new  to  you.  There  is  plenty  of  good  precedent  for  it. 
Why  is  it  that  this  story  of  Jewish  life  and  thought  is  called  the  Bible, 
the  Book  of  books  ?  Why  is  it  that  for  thousands  of  years,  generation 
after  generation  has  found  strength  and  comfort  and  inspiration  in  these 
naive  records  ?  It  is  simply  because  the  v^riters  wrote  their  history  and 
their  stories  and  their  poems  with  the  large  H.  It  was  God's  story 
which  they  recorded;  it  was  the  story  of  the  way  in  which  God  had 
created  the  heavens  and  the  earth,  the  sea  and  all  that  in  them  is:  of 
the  way  in  which  He  had  revealed  his  laws  of  life  and  prosperity  to 
great  patriots  and  leaders,  like  Abraham,  Isaac,  and  Moses.  This 
Bible  owes  its  perennial  power  largely  to  the  fact  that  in  it  History  is 


156  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

written  with  a  large  H  and  Nature  with  a  large  N.  There  is  absolutely 
no  precedent  in  the  Old  Testament  for  our  modern  habit  of  distinguish- 
ing between  religious  truth  and  scientific  truth. 

Think  of  the  inspiration  which  would  come  to  us  and  our  children 
if  the  writers  of  history  and  the  teachers  of  history  realized  that  our 
history  is  just  as  sacred  as  ever  Jewish  history  was;  that  our  people  are 
a  chosen  people  as  truly  as  ever  the  Hebrews  were.  Think  what  an 
inspiration  it  would  be,  if  we  should  gather  our  children  about  us  and 
repeat  to  them  the  sacred  history  of  our  own  beloved  country  —  the 
true  and  miraculous  story  of  how  God  brought  our  Pilgrim  Fathers 
and  Puritan  ancestors  out  of  the  house  of  bondage  and  the  land  of  Egypt. 
How  God  brought  our  pious  forefathers,  with  their  wives  and  little  ones, 
safely  across  wintry  seas  more  formidable  than  any  Red  Sea.  How 
God  led  our  fathers  and  mothers  in  their  wanderings  in  the  vast  unex- 
plored wilderness  of  this  new  world.  How  He  delivered  them  from 
pestilence,  and  famine,  and  sword,  from  savage  beasts,  and  still  more 
savage  men.  How  He  made  of  this  little  handful  of  chosen  people  a  great 
nation.  How  He  gave  them  leaders,  statesmen,  prophets  and  teachers, 
inventors  and  discoverers,  like  Washington,  Franklin,  Lincoln,  Agassiz, 
Emerson,  who  were  greater  than  the  patriarchs  of  old,  and  saw  God 
more  clearly  than  Abraham,  Isaac,  Jacob,  Moses,  or  Luther,  or  Calvin 
could  see  Him.  How  God  has  punished  us  and  our  forefathers  for 
the  sin  of  slavery,  visiting  the  iniquities  of  the  fathers  upon  the  children 
unto  the  third  and  fourth  generation.  How  He  has  taught  us  and  our 
fathers  in  the  name  of  trade,  commerce,  factory  legislation,  conflicts  of 
labor  and  capital,  the  impossibility  of  successful  self-seeking,  and  the 
absolute  necessity  of  seeking  first  the  welfare  of  God's  kingdom  of  the 
social  family.  Most  inspiring  of  all,  how  God,  after  sifting  the  nations 
of  the  earth  to  get  this  nation,  has  intrusted  this  chosen  people  with 
the  lofty  mission  of  making  the  family  kingdom  of  democracy  come  on 
earth  as  it  is  in  heaven. 

This  is  the  inspiring  history  which  I  would  I  might  engrave  upon 
the  heart  and  mind  of  every  boy  and  girl,  every  man  and  woman  in 
this  beloved  country.  It  is  this  story,  His  story,  God's  story,  and  not 
the  mere  dates  and  details  and  raw  materials  of  history,  that  every 
child  in  our  public  schools  ought  to  learn  by  heart.  It  is  His  story,  and 
not  mere  history,  that  the  historian  should  write  and  the  teachers  and 
professors  in  colleges  and  universities  should  teach.  If  the  schools  do 
not  teach  this,  then  is  their  teaching  vain.  If  the  universities  do  not 
teach  this,  then  is  their  wisdom  foolishness  and  their  light  darkness. 
If  education  does  not  center  about  this,  then  it  is  but  a  blind  leader  of 
the  blind. 


EDUCATIONAL  AIMS  OF  THE  CHURCH  157 

But  when  we  have  leared  to  write  Nature  with  a  large  N,  and  History 
with  a  large  H,  we  shall  find  the  real  beauty  and  inspiration  of  life 
in  this  reunion  of  science  and  religion,  of  sacred  and  secular.  Then 
education  will  teach  us  how  the  world  is  God's  world.  Then  astronomy 
and  the  music  of  the  spheres  will  tell  of  the  glory  and  grandeur  and 
rationality  of  it.  Then  psychology  will  teach  us  how  to  will  and  do 
God's  infinitely  rational  and  good  pleasure. 


REV.  JOHN  R.  GOW 

PASTOR  PERKINS  STREET  BAPTIST  CHURCH,    SOMERVILLE,   MASSACHUSETTS 

I  can  offer  but  a  single  suggestion  toward  this  discussion.  Perhaps 
it  will  be  best  stated  in  the  familiar  words  with  which  the  writer  of  the 
Fourth  Gospel  declares  his  purpose  in  writing  the  Gospel:  "  That 
ye  may  believe  that  Jesus  is  the  Christ,  the  Son  of  God,  and  that, 
believing,  ye  may  have  life  in  His  name."  For  me,  the  educational 
aims  of  the  Church  are  summed  in  the  word  "  life  "  ;  that  life  is  to  be 
reached  through  believing;  and  that  believing  is  nothing  short  of  sur- 
render in  full  to  what  is  conceived  to  be  the  supreme  disclosure  of  the 
Divine  Presence  in  the  forms  of  humanity.  The  vision  of  an  ideal 
social  order  under  the  name  of  the  Kingdom,  the  setting  forth  of  the 
principles  controlling  spiritual  existence  in  time  and  in  eternity,  all 
the  truths  discovered,  revealed,  and  articulated,  by  which  the  thought 
of  man  is  brought  into  harmony  with  the  great  realities,  and  even  the 
exhibition  of  the  highest  human  personalities  as  embodiments  of 
the  Divine  Personality,  are  in  the  New  Testament  only  means  to  an 
end.  Whatever  the  subject-matter  of  its  teaching  may  be,  its  aim  is 
life  for  the  believer. 

Pre-eminently  do  the  conditions  which  surround  the  educational 
work  of  the  church  at  the  present  time  demand  that  this  aim  of  "  life  by 
faith  "  be  kept  clearly  and  steadfastly  in  view.  The  Church  is,  per- 
force, sharing  its  honored  positions  as  teacher  with  many  other  insti- 
tutions seeking  human  welfare.  Even  her  specialty  of  fostering  the 
religious  life  has  been  successfully  invaded.  The  temper  of  the  com- 
mon-thinking denies  her  exclusive  claims.  Neither  cloistered  nor 
scholastic  instruction  falls  on  very  attentive  ears.  The  men  in  the 
stirring  arenas  of  the  modern  world  have  neither  time  nor  patience 
for  what  does  not  plainly  concern  the  struggle  for  life.  Make  it  evi- 
dent that  the  Church  has  found  the  motives  to  the  noblest  and  suc- 
cessful living,  and  that  her  servants  and  teachers  know  how  to  bring 
these  motives  to  bear  on  the  average  man  so  as  to  put  life  into  him, 
and  the  modern  man  is  ready  to  respond. 


158  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

Such  life  can  never  escape  from  God,  its  source.  It  may  be  that 
rationalism  is  the  foster  child  of  reformation,  but  in  due  season  a 
spiritual  faith  is  born  of  rationalism  itself.  The  power  men  seek 
in  the  religion  and  education  of  the  churches  is  ever  the  mighty  power 
of  an  endlessly  enlarging  life. 

This,  then,  is  my  single  contention,  that  the  aim  of  religious  edu- 
cation, in  our  day,  is  to  deal  with  all  the  material  that  comes  to  hand 
from  all  the  universe  of  knowledge  and  revelation,  and  so  to  present  and 
interpret  it,  according  to  the  wisest  pedagogical  methods,  as  to  produce 
life  in  individuals  by  bringing  them  into  conscious  and  believing  action 
as  in  the  presence  of  Him  "  in  whom  we  live  and  move  and  have  our 
being." 


THE  EDUCATIONAL  AIMS  OF  THE  PASTOR 
The  Pastor  as  Teacher 

REV.  EVERETT  D.  BURR,  D.D. 

PASTOR  FIRST  BAPTIST  CHURCH,  NEWTON  CENTER,  MASSACHUSETTS 

I  venture  to  suggest  some  definite  ways  in  which  the  pastor  may 
render  valuable  service  as  a  teacher. 

First  of  all,  as  the  teacher  0}  teachers.  It  is  easier  to  criticise  the 
inefficiency  of  modern  Sunday  school  teachers  than  it  is  to  provide  those 
who  can  do  any  better.  The  young  men  and  women  of  our  churches 
who  are  enrolled  in  the  teaching  force  of  our  Sunday  schools  are  doing 
the  best  they  know  how  to  do.  They  are  to  be  congratulated,  not 
criticised;  praised,  not  ridiculed.  They  cannot  go  to  a  school  of  peda- 
gogy; they  cannot  master  the  treatises  upon  the  subject.  To  offer 
them  a  recent  volume  on  psychology  would  be  to  dishearten  them,  yet 
they  are  being  told  by  ardent  and  eloquent  speakers  at  Sunday  school 
conventions  that  unless  their  teaching  accords  with  modern  pedagogical 
and  psychological  methods  they  are  really  doing  harm  to  the  souls  of 
their  children.  They  become  discouraged,  grieve  over  their  lack  of 
preparedness  for  so  serious  responsibilties,  and  not  infrequently  give 
up  their  tasks.  The  more  conscientious,  earnest,  and  intelligent  of 
the  teachers  are  the  most  sensitive  to  their  own  inadequacy.  A  pastor's 
class  for  teacher-training  will  meet  such  a  condition  and  supply  the 
need.  Here  the  simple,  fundamental  laws  of  mind  may  be  explained 
in  a  friendly,  informal  way.  The  more  effective  methods  of  presenting 
truth  may  be  talked  over,  the  thought  method  and  the  teaching  method 
of  Jesus  and  Paul  may  be  learned  by  a  new  and  interesting  study  of 
the  New  Testament.  The  literary  and  historical  method  of  Bible-study 
may  be  explained  and  the  illumining  discoveries  of  recent  research 
presented.  Into  such  a  class  may  be  gathered  not  only  those  who  are 
already  teaching,  but  those  also  who  might  be  available  for  such  service. 
Call  it  a  Biblical  Research  Club,  call  it  a  Normal  Class,  call  it  a  Teachers' 
Training  Class,  call  it  what  you  will,  only  let  the  result  be  gained  that 
a  group  of  people  bent  on  understanding  the  Word  of  God  and  knowing 
how  to  teach  it,  shall  meet  under  the  competent  leadership  of  their 
minister  and  engage  in  the  endeavor. 

The  mechanics  of  such  a  class  meeting  may  be  easily  disposed  of. 
A  small  contribution  from  each  member  of  the  group  will  provide  a 
sufficient  fund  to  make  available  the  best  periodicals   in   the  varied 

159 


i6o  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

departments  of  Bible-study.  The  members  may  be  detailed  for  special 
work,  or  the  class  divided  into  smaller  groups,  who  will  look  up  matters 
of  interest  in  exposition,  excavation,  in  history  or  geography,  criticism 
and  interpretation  respectively,  or  work  away  in  the  field  of  child-study, 
or  teaching  methods,  and  at  each  meeting  new  light  will  be  brought, 
new  interest  awakened,  new  enthusiasm  engendered,  and  the  whole 
group  enriched  by  the  gifts  of  each.  The  meeting  of  such  a  class  as 
this  may  well  displace  an  ineffectual  Sunday  night  service,  or  find  a 
new  place  for  itself  in  the  midweek  services,  even  at  the  sacrifice  of 
some  meeting  of  the  older  type,  for  such  a  class  will  generate  power 
and  make  the  teaching  force  of  the  church  available  and  efficient. 

A  second  field  for  pastoral  leadership  is  in  missionary  study.  In  the 
great  majority  of  our  churches  the  missionary  work  is  relegated  to  the 
women  of  the  church.  And  yet  the  great  enterprise  of  missions  expects 
to  succeed  by  the  offerings  which  prosperous,  intelligent  men  will  give 
through  the  church  treasuries.  It  has  been  found  perfectly  practicable 
in  one  church  to  induce  a  large  number  of  men  to  read  missionary 
biography.  In  one  single  season  three  dozen  men  were  pledged  to 
read  some  thrilling  life-story  of  a  great  missionary,  and  report  his  in- 
spiration and  impressions  at  a  missionary  concert.  This  is  not  a  diffi- 
cult task  in  any  church.  Let  a  missionary  committee  under  the  direction 
of  the  pastor,  in  laying  out  a  series  of  missionary  meetings  for  the  church, 
plan  to  have  half  of  them,  at  least,  the  presentation  of  the  lives  of  as 
many  noted  missionaries.  Each  biography  may  be  divided  among  five 
men,  asked  to  read  a  few  chapters  and  present  a  certain  period  of  the 
life.  Few  men  will  refuse  such  a  request.  By  such  a  simple  and 
practical  method  the  men  of  the  church  may  be  made  enthusiastic  for 
missions,  new  and  hitherto  unheard  voices  will  bring  new  power  to  the 
public  meetings,  the  whole  church  receive  the  impulse  and  the  missionary 
treasuries  a  marked  increase  in  offerings. 

A  third  field,  even  more  promising  than  the  other  two,  is  among  the 
children.  It  will  readily  be  granted  that  our  modern  secondary  schools 
do  not  impart  a  strong  ethical  impulse,  nor  give  to  our  boys  and  girls 
the  instruction  in  morals  which  they  deeply  need.  The  intellectual 
culture  is  ethically  colorless.  There  is  not  time  in  the  ordinary  Sunday 
school  session  for  such  instruction,  except  as  it  may  be  incidental  to  the 
regular  lesson.  The  homes  are  rare  in  which  definite  instruction  in 
the  great  Christian  principles  of  conduct  is  given.  Where,  then,  shall 
our  young  mariners  learn  a  true  nautical  code  before  they  venture  upon 
perilous  seas,  unless  their  ministers,  whom  they  know  and  love,  come 
totheir^aid  ? 


EDUCATIONAL  AIMS  OF  THE  PASTOR  i6i 

As  to  manifest  results:  (a)  The  opportunity  such  a  class  affords 
for  personal,  immediate,  and  friendly  intercourse  with  the  children. 
The  hand  of  a  friend  most  easily  can  lead  another  into  the  larger  life. 
Such  conversational  hours  naturally  induce  an  understanding  and 
frankness  which  the  remote  touch  of  the  pulpit,  or  an  occasional  visit 
to  the  Sunday-school,  can  never  accomplish,  (b)  The  opportunity 
for  co-operation  with  the  home  in  influencing  the  spirit  and  temper 
of  the  children.  How  can  ministers  and  parents  get  together  any  more 
readily  than  when  their  hearts  are  fused  in  the  fires  of  a  single  inter- 
est ?  (c)  The  opportunity  of  really  determining  the  moral  code  of  a  life 
and  settling  his  standards  of  conduct.  When  a  minister  faces  his  congre- 
gation he  is  compelled  to  realize  that  his  hearers  are  for  the  most  part 
so  mature  that  their  mode  of  life  is  settled,  their  standards 
fixed,  their  principles  and  prejudices  almost  unalterable.  He  wonders 
whether  anything  he  can  say  will  effectively  transform  their  lives.  But 
he  has  no  misgivings  whatever  when  he  teaches  a  class  of  children 
between  the  ages  of  ten  and  fifteen,  (d)  Such  teaching  will  be  more 
than  ethical,  because  it  is  so  Biblical  and  Christie.  Confining  the  lessons 
to  the  very  words  of  Jesus  awakens  a  personal  interest  in  Him.  He 
seems  so  interested  in  child-life,  to  understand  their  needs  so  intimately, 
that  the  conviction  arises  that  Jesus  Christ  is  a  child's  best  friend,  and 
they  come  gradually  to  love  Him,  trust  Him,  and  obey  Him.  The 
children  grow  in  grace  as  they  increase  in  wisdom,  and  so  by  a  natural 
process  of  soul-culture  under  the  influence  of  a  present  Christ  they  are 
saved  from  the  necessity  of  a  cataclysmic  experience.  Religion  is  seen 
to  be  a  life,  and  its  beginning  and  growth  wrought  in  vital  processes. 

May  I  add  a  brief  word  of  explanation  about  the  mechanics  of  such 
class-work?  I  have  made  and  printed  a  lesson-slip  each  week,  and 
given  this  to  the  members  of  the  class,  with  a  blank  book  and  two  five- 
cent  Testaments,  with  the  suggestion  that  they  paste  the  lesson -slip 
upon  a  left-hand  page,  and  after  cutting  the  verses  of  the  lesson  from 
the  Testaments,  paste  them  on  the  opposite  page,  so  that  the  children 
acquire  a  method  of  study  and  produce  by  their  own  labor  a  hand-book 
of  Christie  teaching  which  will  be  of  lasting  value  to  them. 

It  is  a  gratifying  incident  in  such  simple  devices  that  an  appropriate 
employment  is  given  to  the  Sunday  afternoon  hour  and  the  "  Pastor's 
Class-book"  has  proved  a  help  to  the  solution  of  the  problem  of  Sunday 
occupation  for  children. 


i62  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

Some  of  the  Lesson-slips  used  by  the  Rev.  Everett  D.  Burr, 
D.D.,  IN  His  "  Pastor's  Class  " 

WHAT  JESUS  TEACHES  ABOUT  SPEECH 

1.  What    did    jesus    say    about    the    dignity    and    worth  of 

conversation  ? 
Matt.  5  :  34-37     5  :  21,  22     12  :  35-37 

2.  What  did  jesus  talk  about? 

Luke  11:37-40     John  8  :  28,  38     12:49,50     7:46 

3.  Why  and  when  did  jesus  refuse  to  speak? 

John     19:7-9     Matt.  26:62,63     Mark  15  :  3-5     Luke  23  :  8-11 
John  7  :  18 

4.  Did  jesus  give  any  definite  standard  of  speech? 
Matt  10  :  27     10:  19,  20    Luke  12:3     6  :  45     John  7  :  18 

5.  Would   you   feel   comfortable  if  jesus  should   overhear 

ALL    you    say? 

6.  What  are  some  of  the  sins  of  speech? 

Eph.4:3i     I  Peter  2  :  I     James4:ii     Titus  3  :  21  Timothy  5:13 

THE  TEACHING  OF  JESUS  ABOUT  PLEASURE 

Is  there  danger  in  pleasure  ? 

Luke  8  :  14 

Did   jesus   condemn   pleasure? 

John  2  :  I,  2     Luke  5:  29     John  12  :  2     Matt.  9:11     Luke  13:26 

What  did  jesus  condemn? 

Matt.  6  :  19,23,25,28,31 

What  did  jesus  commend? 

Matt.  18  :  1-3     6  :  16     Romans  15:3     Matt.  6  :  33 

What   is   the   greatest   pleasure? 

Phil.   2  :  13     John  3  :  17     John  8  :  29 

THE  TEACHING  OF  JESUS  ABOUT  DUTY 

How  did  jesus  define  duty  for  himself? 

Luke  2  :  49     John  9  :  4    Luke  24  :  26 

How  DID  jesus  define  duty  for  us? 

John  14  :  15     14  :  21-24     17  :  18 

Are  there  many  duties? 

John  4  :  24     Luke  18  :  i     Matt.  23  :  23     25  :  14,  30     John  13  :  14 

Matt  25  :  37-40 

What  is  the  impulse  to  duty? 

Matt.  22  :  36-40     John  13  :  34 

Is  duty  the  measure  of  faithfulness? 

Luke  17  :  10 


'  EDUCATIONAL  AIMS  OF  THE  PASTOR  163 

The  Pastor  as  an  Educator 
REV.  CORNELIUS  H.  PATTON,  D.D. 

SECRETARY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  BOARD  OF  COMMISSIONERS  FOR    FOREIGN  MISSIONS, 
BOSTON,  MASSACHUSETTS 

The  faithful  pastor  is  one  of  the  greatest,  if  not  the  greatest  educa- 
tional force  in  the  community.  But  what  is  it  to  be  faithful  in  this 
matter  ?  This  is  an  attempt  to  answer  that  question  in  respect  to  the 
one  work  of  preaching.  In  order  to  be  educational  in  the  high  sense 
of  the  word,  preaching  must  be  thorough,  systematic,  instructive,  and 
saving. 

(i)  First, —  as  to  thoroughness.  I  refer  to  the  intellectual  process  by 
which  a  man  thinks  through  his  subject  to  the  end.  Once  a  week,  at 
least,  the  minister  should  lead  his  people  to  the  fountains  of  knowledge 
and  persuade  them  to  drink  deep  and  full.  If  he  cannot  sound  all  the 
depths  of  philosophy  and  science,  he  can  at  least  trace  his  separate 
theme  to  some  fundamental  conception,  some  accepted  spiritual  reality, 
which  will  give  his  hearers  the  sense  of  solidity  and  strength,  and  send 
them  into  the  unstable  world  with  a  firm  grip  upon  some  great  truth. 
For  a  congregation  once  a  week  to  be  brought  face  to  face  with  the 
mysteries  and  problems  of  life,  and  to  have  their  minds  led  to  some 
underlying  principle  of  existence,  is  a  process  of  great  educational  value, 
— considered  purely  on  its  intellectual  side.  But  when  in  this  process 
the  preacher  unfailingly  links  thought  to  revelation,  and  leads  the  mind 
to  rest  in  God  and  the  divine  realities  as  the  ultimate  solution  of  all  that 
vexes  and  perplexes  us,  it  is  an  educational  factor  too  great  to  allow 
comparison.  It  is,  par  excellence,  the  educational  influence  in  any 
community.     The  preacher  must,  then,  be  thorough. 

(2)  He  must  also  relate  each  truth  he.  presents  to  other  truths;  and 
hence  the  preacher  should  be  systematic.  There  must  be  progress  and 
system,  if  there  is  to  be  education.  In  this  contention,  however,  we  run 
counter  to  the  theory  of  many,  and  possibly  to  the  tendency  of  the  age. 
The  spirit  of  the  age  does  not  take  to  systematic  thinking  as  kindly  as 
it  does  to  the  setting  forth  of  detached  truths.  The  great  theological 
works  of  past  generations  are  laid  on  the  shelf,  not  merely  because  they 
are  old,  but  also  because  they  are  systematic.  Many  hold  that  to  be 
systematic  is  to  be  dull;  and  hence  arises  the  essay  style  of  sermon, 
the  touch-and-go  method  on  the  one  side,  and  the  special  doctrinal  ap- 
peal or  the  fad  sermon  on  the  other.  Both  methods  are  fatal  to  the 
best  educational  effect. 

(3)  Kindred  to  the  above  is  the  demand  for  instructive  preaching. 
By  this  I  mean  informing  preaching  —  preaching,  which,  by  direction  and 


i64  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

indirection,  by  application  and  illustration,  seeks  to  impart  knowledge 
as  such.  It  has  been  said  of  the  theory  of  evolution,  that,  without  re- 
gard to  the  essential  truth  or  falseness  of  the  theory,  it  has  amply  justi- 
fied itself  on  the  ground  of  the  immense  body  of  new  facts  in  the  natural 
world  it  has  served  to  bring  to  light.  Similarly,  the  pulpit  should 
justify  itself  as  an  imparter  of  information.  This  is  a  more  important 
function  than  might  at  first  be  supposed.  There  are  those  who  re- 
mind us  that  the  preacher  no  longer  is  the  best  educated  man  in  the 
community;  that  books,  newspapers,  magazines,  and  lectures  have 
taken  the  place  of  pulpit  instruction;  and  hence  the  minister  has  lost 
an  important  title  to  pre-eminence.  It  is  not  asserted,  however,  that 
people  to-day  are  particularly  learned  in  religious  things;  that  they 
read  theology  or  church  history,  or  even  study  the  Bible  with  new 
zeal  because  of  the  increase  of  general  intelligence  and  the  opening  of 
new  avenues  for  information.  On  the  contrary,  we  are  assured  that 
people  have  no  time  for  these  things.  It  would  seem,  then,  that  the 
minister  still  has  a  function  as  an  informer  in  religious  matters.  The 
reading  of  the  lesson  from  the  pulpit  Bible  once  a  week;  the  exposition 
of  the  more  important  parts  of  Scripture  in  courses  of  sermons  (which 
may  well  be  the  basis  of  every  minister's  preaching);  the  recital  of 
Scripture  incidents;  the  quoting  of  passages,  or  allusions  to  well-known 
truths  of  revelation,  —  these  all  have  special  value  for  the  information 
they  convey.  There  are  many  men,  and  women  too,  who  never  hear 
the  Bible  read  except  at  church,  who  never  know  the  power  of  religious 
truth  except  as  it  is  taught  from  the  sacred  desk.  Nor  need  the  infor- 
mation be  restricted  to  the  Bible.  A  wise  use,  on  the  part  of  the  preacher, 
of  church  history,  in  the  course  of  the  years  will  acquaint  the  congrega- 
tion with  the  leading  scenes  and  facts  in  the  record  of  God's  spirit  in 
the  world  since  the  days  of  the  apostles.  The  claims  of  Christ  to 
universahty,  and  the  success  of  world-wide  missions,  would  not  be  met 
by  doubt  and  unbelief  in  our  churches  if  the  ministers  in  their  ser- 
mons should  draw  liberally  from  that  homiletical  mine  of  wealth, 
missionary  history,  and  literature. 

(4)  Finally,  preaching,  to  be  truly  educational,  must  be  saving. 
When  a  certain  professor  applied  for  a  position  in  another  institution, 
the  question  was  asked  by  a  shrewd  trustee,  "  Does  he  teach  his 
subjects,  or  his  pupils  ?  "  The  same  inquiry  might  well  be  made  as 
to  a  minister's  method  in  preaching.  Is  his  interest  primarily  in  the 
truth,  or  in  the  people  who  hear  it? 

The  evangelist  may  come  in  for  an  important  work,  to  arouse  feeling 
and  induce  decision ;  but  this  will  be  of  little  value,  and  may  even  be  a 


EDUCATIONAL  AIMS  OF  THE  PASTOR  165 

positive  injury,  unless  the  wider  work  of  instruction  has  prepared  the 
way.  Unless  in  the  act  of  conversion  the  whole  man  is  brought  into 
right  relations  to  God,  the  experience  is  of  questionable  value.  A 
professor  in  one  of  our  leading  theological  seminaries,  upon  my  asking 
as  to  what  extent  the  students  succeeded  in  adjusting  themselves  to  the 
newer  historical  attitude  toward  the  Bible,  replied  that  they  had  no 
trouble  with  those  students  who  had  grown  into  the  religious  life  by  a 
ripening  experience.  These,  he  found,  held  religion  as  a  basic  principle, 
covering  all  parts  of  their  nature,  intellect,  feeling,  and  will:  But  those 
students  whose  religious  experience  was  bounded  by  the  emotions 
which  gave  it  birth  at  some  instant  in  time,  found  it  extremely  diffi- 
cult, if  not  impossible,  to  change  their  intellectual  conceptions.  This 
observation  is  instructive,  and  suggests  the  value  of  a  wider  range  for 
investigation  among  our  theological  institutions. 

In  the  same  direction  points  an  investigation  the  writer  has  recently 
made  as  to  the  foreign  missionaries  who  have  gone  out  under  the  Amer- 
ican Board.  Among  the  questions  we  ask  of  appointees  are  these: 
When  and  where  were  you  hopefully  converted  ?  Was  it  in  a  revival  of 
religion  ?  Between  1885  and  1895, 103  missionaries  stated  they  were  con- 
verted in  revivals,  while  210  —  more  than  double  the  number  —  stated 
that  their  Christian  life  began  unconsciously.  In  the  next  decade  — 
1895  to  1905 — 67  confessed  a  revival  origin  of  their  religious  life, 
while  187  said  otherwise.  For  the  past  twenty  years,  out  of  567 
appointments,  170  were  converted  in  revivals,  and  397  not  in  revivals. 
We  have  come  almost  to  expect  that  candidates  to-day  will  say,  "I 
do  not  know  when  I  became  a  Christian.  "  The  contrast  of  these 
figures  with  those  for  the  first  twenty  years  of  the  Board  is  instructive. 
Up  to  1836,  of  the  97  missionaries  whose  life-memoranda  we  have,  59 
were  converted  in  a  revival,  and  38  not  in  a  revival.  These  figures, 
limited  as  they  are,  plainly  indicate  that  the  nurture  idea  of  the 
Christian  life  is  gaining  ground  steadily  in  our  midst. 


Adequate  Intellectual  Expression  of  the  People's  Spiritual 

Experience  by  the  Pastor 

REV.  CHARLES  S.  MACFARLAND,  Ph.D. 

PASTOR  MAPLEWOOD  CONGREGATIONAL    CHURCH,    MALDEN,  MASSACHUSETTS 

I  believe  my  theme  itself  states  the  real  w^ork  of  the  pastor  as  a 
teacher.  The  soul  and  its  experiences  are  central,  and  the  pastor's 
finest  work,  as  a  teacher,  is  to  provide  for  his  people  a  fitting  and 
adequate  intellectual  expression  of  this  experience. 

Changes  in  thought  have  come   in  the  classrooms  of  our  seminaries 


1 66  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

and  in  the  thought  of  our  preachers.  But  the  intellectual  result  has 
not  yet  been  adequately  given  to  the  people  in  the  churches.  Clement 
of  Alexandria  sets  forth  with  clearness  and  explicitness  the  two  dif- 
ferent stages  of  truth  which  must  be  kept  distinct  —  one  for  the  priest, 
the  other  for  the  people.  Clement's  not  too  honest  advice  has  obtained 
too  much  following  down  to  our  own  day. 

The  real  work  of  the  preacher  is  to  impart  his  own  spiritual  expe- 
rience to  his  people  by  expressing  it  for  them.  It  will  not  do  for  him  to 
arouse  a  spiritual  experience  in  them  and  then  leave  them  to  speak 
it  in  the  unknown  tongue  of  an  inadequate  formula.  The  new  wine 
calls  for  new  bottles.  Through  the  continuation  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in 
the  Christian  experience,  Christ  has  been  pouring  out  new  wine  upon 
us.  But  we  have  left  our  people  with  the  old  wine-skins,  and  the  skins, 
have  burst;  intellectual  confusion  has  resulted  because  of  our  failure  to 
provide  new  bottles  for  the  new  wine. 

Does  this  mean  that  it  is  the  function  of  the  preacher  to  become  an 
iconoclast?  To  some  extent,  perhaps.  Generally,  however,  the  new 
wine  will  of  itself  burst  the  old  bottles.  Our  chief  task  is  to  provide 
the  new.  Here  is  the  point  at  which  our  younger  men  have  wrought 
confusion.  They  have  broken  the  old  bottles  before  they  had  pro- 
vided the  new  ones. 

Again  it  is  not  always  the  form  of  expression  that  needs  to  be 
changed,  but  a  reinterpretation  that  is  needed.  The  religious  expe- 
rience goes  on,  but  deepening  from  age  to  age,  and  its  main  forms  re- 
main the  same.  But  every  deepening  in  experience  calls  for  a  new 
interpretation  of  the  form.  Thus,  the  preacher  comes  not  to  destroy 
law  and  prophets,  but  to  fulfill  them.  Such  forms  of  expression  as 
Salvation,  Conversion,  Regeneration,  Election,  Inspiration,  call  to- 
day, not  for  their  burial,  but  for  a  reinterpretation. 

This  is  the  method  with  essential  forms.  When,  however,  persis- 
tence of  form  is  incompatible  with  the  truer  intellectual  expression, 
the  delicate  but  peremptory  duty  of  the  preacher  is  to  modify,  or  gen- 
erally to  expand,  and  sometimes  to  repudiate,  the  form.  This  conser- 
vative, yet  to  some  extent  iconoclastic,  method  was  Jesus's  way  with 
regard  to  Jewish  law. 

For  all  this  adjustment  the  people  are  dependent  on  the  preacher. 
The  day  of  his  note  of  authority  must  not  be  allowed  to  pass.  They 
must  always,  in  large  measure,  have  their  thinking  done  for  them,  or 
perhaps  it  is  better  to  say,  have  their  thoughts  and  experiences  expressed 
for  them. 

The  day  of  such  "  religious  authority  "  is  not  gone.     "  Science 


EDUCATIONAL  AIMS  OF  THE  PASTOR  167 

stands  for  truth."  So  docs  the  Holy  Spirit,  acting  on  and  through  the 
reason.  And  it  is  true,  ever  has  been  true,  and  ever  will  be  true, 
worlds  without  end,  that  the  effort  of  the  human  reason  to  know  God 
and  the  moral  universe,  to  apprehend  the  moral  magnitude  and  contem- 
plate the  spiritual  force  of  Jesus  Christ,  is  the  supreme  endeavor  of 
the  human  mind.  And  this  is  "  theology."  Religion  without  it  is 
like  an  ipfant  crying  in  the  night,  and  with  no  language  but  an  inco- 
herent cry. 

A  great  body  of  our  people  need  to  be  relieved  of  timorous  tremblings 
by  being  shown  clearly  on  what  true  faith  depends  and  where  the  spir- 
itual life  finds  its  sustenance;  that  the  power  of  the  Fourth  Gospel 
does  not  depend  on  the  name  or  the  date  of  its  writer;  that  the  power 
of  Christ  in  their  lives  to-day  does  not  depend  on  miracles  performed 
2000  years  ago;  and  that  the  naturalness  of  the  spiritual  order  does  not 
take  away  the  sweet  comfort  and  the  uplifting  atmosphere  of  the 
holy  hour  of  prayer.  That  is  to  say,  they  need  to  see  that  faith  rests 
on  the  spiritual  experience  of  which  it  is  the  expression  and  that  the 
reality  of  the  experience  does  not  depend  on  any  given  attempt  at  an 
expression  of  it  in  intellectual  forms.  The  superlative  need  is  to 
bring  out  in  bold  relief  the  essential  articles  of  faith  which  are  deter- 
mined by  the  experience. 

I  am  expressing  to-day  the  feelings  of  the  great  body  of  the  younger 
men  who  are  coming  out  of  our  seminaries.  They  are  often  placed  in 
trying  situations.  They  find  themselves  speaking  in  an  unknown 
tongue.  In  the  name  of  the  Master  I  beg  the  older  men  to  give  them, 
not  cold  and  disdainful  disparagement,  but  kindly^ caution  and  tender 
advice.  Some  of  them  have  lost  their  spiritual  self-consciousness  be- 
cause they  have  been  taught  and  made  to  believe  that  their  newer 
thinking  unfits  them  for  evangelization  and  deeply  spiritual  leadership. 
Those  who  would  be  adequate  to  the  situation  are  hampered  by  their 
inefficient  and  self-sufficient  brethren,  who  have  a  nondescript  avalanche 
of  undigested  truth  and  have  by  it  wrought  confusion  in  some  near-by 
parish. 

I  am  dismayed  by  some  of  our  ordaining  and  installing  councils. 
In  the  very  age  when  clear  thinking  and  deep  study  are  thus  demanded, 
we  are  growing  careless  of  these  very  things.  Men  are  passed  through 
because  of  their  amiable  spirit  and  their  good  intent  It  is  becoming 
fashionable  to  report  the  absence  of  any  theological  paper  or  discussion 
at  such  councils.  We  ought  to  demand  a  strong,  comprehensive 
scheme  of  doctrine,  an  ability  to  clothe  the  religious  experience  in  worthy 
intellectual  garments. 


i68  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

The  light  in  the  true  preacher's  soul  is  straight  from  heaven;  his 
is  an  immediate  divine  revelation  to  men;  he  is  a  man  in  whom  his 
uttered  truth  is  realized;  he  leads  men  to  a  higher  world;  he  pleads 
with  men.  His  medium  is  the  spoken  word,  the  intellectual  expression 
of  these  spiritual  things.  His  preaching  is  the  mind  translating  the 
spirit  into  the  language  of  reason. 

My  brethren  in  the  ministry  of  the  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ,  called 
to  convey  the  eternal  counsels  of  God  which  determine  the  moral  des- 
tinies of  men,  how  great  is  our  intellectual  task:  to  search  out  the 
unsearchable;  to  bring  to  men,  through  the  mind,  the  vision  of  the 
invisible;  to  express,  in  the  language  of  reason,  the  inexpressible! 
We  need,  more  than  aught  else,  ever  and  ever  to  pray  the  prayer  of 
Richard  Baxter  of  Kidderminster:  "  Lord,  do  in  our  own  souls  that 
which  thou  dost  use  us  to  do  upon  the  souls  of  other  men." 


Discussion 


REV.  W.  A.  WOOD,  A.M. 

PASTOR  METHODIST  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH,  SPENCER,  MASSACHUSETTS 

The  educational  aim  of  the  pastor  is  the  inspiration  of  life  —  the 
highest  possible  ethical  life.  This  was  the  aim  of  the  Master  of  men. 
Jesus  said:  "  I  have  come  that  you  may  have  life,  and  that  you  may 
have  it  in  abundance."  Life  is  the  main  interest  of  the  pastor  in  his 
educational  aims.  Life  is  free.  To  promote  life,  the  pastor  must 
fall  in  line  with  the  trend  of  religious  thinking  in  our  time.  One 
marked  element  in  that  trend  is  the  refusal  to  admit  a  purely  external 
authority  in  religion  anywhere,  and  in  the  assertion  that  authority  in 
religion  is  internal,  spiritual,  ethical,  moral,  a  matter  of  conscience, 
a  matter  of  experience.     We  are  called  into  the  presence  of  the  spiritual. 

Fundamentally,  it  is  a  contest  of  methods  —  the  method  of  purely 
external  authority  and  the  method  of  experience.  The  method  of 
external  authority  bases  all  judgment  of  truth  upon  the  exte  rnal  marks 
of  its  origin  and  the  trustworthiness  of  those  who  promulgated  it. 
The  method  of  experience  puts  us  in  immediate  contact  with  reality, 
and  teaches  us  to  judge  of  truth  only  according  to  its  intrinsic  value, 
directly  manifested  to  the  mind  in  the  degree  of  its  evidence. 

The  experimental  method  destroyed  the  astrology  and  physics  of 
ancient  days,  but  it  created  a  new  astronomy  and  a  new  physics.  Why 
should  not  the  same  method  adopted  by  the  pastor  in  his  educational 
aims  have  the  same  fecundating  and  rejuvenating  effect?  Purely 
external  authority  is  the  right  of  the  species  over  the  individual.     Self- 


EDUCATIONAL  AIMS  OF  THE  PASTOR  169 

direction  is  the  right  of  the  individual  with  regard  to  the  species.  The 
moral  consciousness  does  not  appear  at  the  beginning  of  evolution, 
nor  does  it  at  any  moment  burst  suddenly  into  being  all  luminous  and 
perfect.     "  It  emerges  slowly  and  laboriously  from  the  night  of  nature." 

The  education  of  mankind  is  the  passage  from  faith  in  purely  ex- 
ternal authority  to  personal  conviction.  Here,  and  here  only,  in  per- 
sonal conviction,  is  final  authority.  Authority  which  is  purely  exter- 
nal tends  to  become  neither  reasonable  nor  disinterested.  It  ought 
to  be  a  guide,  but  it  becomes  blind.  Tutelage  becomes  tyranny.  The 
past  is  continually  struggUng  for  self -perpetuation  against  the  future 
which  is  sure  to  dawn.  All  history  is  a  moral  pedagogy,  whose  vitality 
lives  in  this  perpetual  struggle  between  the  autonomy  of  the  conscience 
and  collective  authority.  Of  this  struggle  are  born  all  the  problems 
which  civilized  people  to-day  face. 

In  the  educational  aims  of  the  pastor  the  Bible  is  his  chief  instru- 
ment. For  this  it  is  admirably  adapted,  since  it  is  a  record  of  the 
self-expression  of  God  in  human  life, — a  book  of  Hfe, — a  great  spir- 
itual biology.  The  demonstration  of  the  divinity  of  Scripture  is  an 
inward  revelation  taking  place  in  the  consciousness  at  the  moment  of 
reading  and  making  the  truth  appear  as  the  sunlight.  We  know  that 
light  is  light  by  the  fact  that  it  gives  us  light.  Scripture  must  be  left 
to  justify  itself  to  the  consciousness,  for  it  has  in  itself  the  faculty  of 
showing  its  truth  as  things  white  or  black  show  their  color,  as  things 
bitter  or  sweet  show  their  flavor.  There  is  nothing  to  oppose  this 
appeal  to  experience. 

The  Bible  will  ever  be  the  book  of  power,  the  marvelous  book,  the 
book  above  all  others.  It  will  ever  be  the  light  of  the  mind  and  the 
bread  of  the  soul.  Neither  the  superstition  of  some  nor  the  irreli- 
gious negations  of  others  will  ever  be  able  to  do  it  harm.  "  If  there 
is  anything  certain  in  the  world,  it  is  that  the  destinies  of  the  Bible  are 
linked  with  the  destinies  of  holiness  on  the  earth." 

That  which  we  must  absolutely  repudiate  is  an  external  authority. 
The  time  has  come  for  those  who  have  broken  with  authority  in  their 
inner  life  to  break  with  it  in  their  educational  aims.  The  gospel,  in 
its  very  principle,  implies  the  abrogation  of  external  authority,  and 
inaugurates  as  a  fact  the  religion  of  the  spirit.  The  only  ultimate 
authority  is  the  experience  of  God  in  the  human  soul.  Jesus  taught 
as  "  One  who  had  authority,"  just  because  in  his  soul  and  in  the 
souls  of  those  who  heard  there  was  that  special  sanction  which  the 
human  conscience  gives  to  truth,  which  the  truth  must  have  if  it  is  to 
appear  divine  and  take  possession  of  us. 


I70  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

"  If  any  man  wills  to  do  the  will  of  the  Father,  he  shall  know  of 
My  teaching  whether  it  is  from  God."  "  It  is  before  all  else  the  vir- 
tue, the  efficacy  of  His  Word,  which  gives  him  authority."  His  teach- 
ing forces  itself  upon  souls  because  it  takes  hold  of  them  and  sub- 
jugates them  as  the  truth  itself  does  when  it  shows  itself  in  its  own 
luminous  evidence;  as  holiness  and  love  do  when,  mingling  in  one, 
they  reveal  themselves  by  the  power  of  their  own  radiance.  Every 
sentence  of  Jesus  has  revealing  power;  is  a  ray  from  heaven  just  be- 
cause the  conscience  welcomes  it  as  a  light  essentially  its  own.  His 
words  so  incorporate  themselves  in  the  human  conscience  that  it  can 
neither  forget  nor  repudiate  them  without  repudiating  itself. 


V.     SUNDAY  SCHOOLS 


THE  ANNUAL  SURVEY   OF    SUNDAY  SCHOOL  PROGRESS 
REV.  PASCAL  HARROWER, 

CHAIRMAN  SUNDAY  SCHOOL  COMMISSION  DIOCESE  OF  NEW  YORK,  RECTOR     CHURCH 
OF  THE  ASCENSION,  WEST  NEW  BRIGHTON,  NEW  YORK 

Let  me  ask  your  attention  to  two  lines  of  observation: 

I.  The  Present  Condition. 

II.  The  Outlook. 

I.  The  question  of  education  is  one  of  critical  interest.  In  the  bud- 
get of  any  state  or  city  or  town,  this  item  calls  for  the  largest  appropria- 
tion. It  is  based  on  the  fact  that  modern  life  cannot  build  itself  upon  an 
ignorant  proletariat.  Increase  your  percentage  of  intelligence,  and  you 
put  the  larger  percentage  of  brain  and  thought  into  your  life.  De- 
press it,  and  Russia  with  her  tens  of  millions  becomes  the  victim  of 
fate. 

1.  Deeper  Regard  for  the  Sunday  School. —  The  conviction  is  steadily 
deepening  "  that  religious  training  is  an  integral  part  of  education,  that 
in  this  country  the  state  school  does  not  and  cannot  include  religious 
training  in  its  program."  This  is  forcing  the  Sunday  school  "  into  a 
position  of  great  responsibility  and  importance,  for  it  is  in  fact,"  as 
President  Nicholas  Murray  Butler  has  said,  "  a  necessary  part  of  the 
machinery  of  our  time."  It  may  seem  to  some  that  this  statement  is 
simply  a  description  of  the  estimate  placed  upon  the  Sunday  school 
during  the  last  twenty-five  years.  On  the  contrary,  it  has  all  the  force 
and  value  of  a  new  estimate.  The  most  encouraging  fact  in  the  present 
condition  is  the  seriousness  with  which  men  are  discussing  the  problem 
of  religious  education  as  education.  And  to-day  there  exists  through- 
out the  educational  world  a  new,  and  to  many  of  us  until  recently  an 
unlooked-for,  respect  for  the  Sunday  school. 

2.  A  New  Literature.  The  effect  of  this  new  regard  has  been  seen 
in  the  contributions  to  the  problem  of  religious  education  of  a  large  and 
rapidly  growing  literature.  Out  of  a  list  of  375  books  bearing  particu- 
larly on  moral  education,  nearly  one  third  have  been  published  since 
the  beginning  of  this  century.'  And  besides  these  there  is  a  large  bibli- 
ography dealing  vdth  other  sides  of  the  problem.  The  influence  of  this 
literature  is  placing  the  Sunday  school  upon  the  same  high  ground  with 

'  Griggs's  Moral  Education. 

171 


172  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

the  university  and  the  elementary  schools.  The  same  men  are  deal- 
ing with  both.  And  the  inevitable  result  is,  that  the  Church  finds 
herself  in  possession  of  an  institution  greatly  elevated  in  its  essential 
claims. 

3.  Effect  of  This  on  Teacher-training.  An  important  impetus 
has  thus  been  given  to  the  work  of  teacher-training.  One  of  the  diffi- 
culties in  the  way  of  raising  the  standard  of  teaching  has  been  the  in- 
different value  set  upon  the  work. 

It  grew  out  of  the  actual  conditions  as  they  existed.  There  is  much 
truth  in  what  B.  F.  Jacobs  said:  that  "  God  had  skimmed  the  cream 
of  the  Church  and  put  it  into  the  Sunday  school." 

Possibly  there  are  to-day  in  the  United  States  three  thousand  teacher- 
training  classes.  Now,  it  is  right  here  that  the  influence  of  this  increas- 
ing literature  is  to  greatly  benefit  the  Sunday  school.  It  is  the  most 
hopeful  element  in  the  situation.  It  is  creating  an  atmosphere  favor- 
able to  the  teacher.  It  is  setting  a  high  value  on  his  work.  This  value, 
furthermore,  is  set  by  men  who  bring  to  bear  upon  it  the  experience 
and  association  of  higher  education.  And  we  cannot  overestimate 
this  fact.  The  Sunday  school  of  the  last  generation  was  divorced  from 
all  other  schools.  It  moved  in  its  own  narrow  sphere.  It  was  limited, 
therefore,  in  its  range  of  thought.  The  teacher  went  to  his  class  with- 
out any  conception  of  that  larger  fellowship  which  he  may  have  to-day. 
The  present  condition  makes  for  the  creation  of  higher  ideals,  and  is  a 
distinct  help  to  those  in  the  Church  who  are  working  for  better  stand- 
ards. 

4.  The  Sex  Factor  in  Teaching.  A  recent  writer  has  called  atten- 
tion to  the  overwhelming  proportion  of  female  teachers  in  our  public 
schools.  The  same  holds  true  of  our  Sunday  schools.  There  can  be 
no  doubt  that  for  certain  ages  woman  is  the  natural  teacher  of  the  child. 
But  it  is  equally  certain  that  the  child  loses,  who  does  not  somewhere 
in  his  educational  course  feel  the  touch  of  the  man.  It  is  well  to  re- 
member that  Christianity  has  from  the  first  been  the  religion  of  the 
world's  strongest  manhood.  We  must  keep  the  boy  of  17,  through  the 
man  of  30. 

5.  Lessons  and  Grading.  There  has  no  doubt  been  a  distinct  move- 
ment towards  the  enlargement  of  the  curriculum  to  include  subjects 
lying,  strictly  speaking,  outside  the  Bible.  This  does  not  imply  a  lowered 
estimate  of  the  Bible,  but  it  does  imply  the  higher  estimate  of  that  human 
life  and  history  out  of  which  the  Bible  was  born,  and  to  which  it  bears 
perpetual  witness. 

Certain  tendencies  are  therefore  to  be  observed. 


ANNUAL  SURVEY  OF  SUNDAY  SCHOOL  PROGRESS       173 

(i.)  The  Bible  is  being  studied  with  a  profounder  sense  of  its  utter 
reality. 

(2.)  There  is  a  growing  feeling  that  the  Bible  must  be  studied  less 
in  fragments  and  more  as  a  whole. 

(3.)  In  some  churches  there  has  been  a  definite  effort  towards  some 
system  or  course  of  study  and  the  construction  of  manuals.  The  Pres- 
byterian Church  (South)  has  adopted  a  complete  course  of  study  for 
its  schools,  by  formal  action  of  its  General  Assembly. 

The  Lutheran  Church,  while  holding,  in  the  main,  to  the  Interna- 
tional System,  as  does  the  Methodist,  is  finding  itself  obliged  to  modify 
this  in  the  interest  of  a  more  careful  grading  in  the  primary  and  advanced 
departments. 

Many  of  the  leading  denominations  report  an  effort  to  grade  their 
schools,  but  in  only  two'  or  three  cases  does  this  grading  go  beyond  the 
adaptation  of  the  uniform  system  by  means  of  graded  lesson-treatment. 

The  Episcopal  Church  has  never  used  the  International  System, 
but  the  Joint  Diocesan  Lessons,  modeled  on  the  International,  but 
recognizing  the  Christian  year,  have  been  used  in  the  large  majority 
of  parishes.  Besides  this  system,  there  have  been  used  a  great  variety 
of  manuals,  so  that  the  condition  of  instruction  is  most  unsettled.  In 
I  goo  the  idea  of  a  subject-graded  curriculum  was  advocated  as  a  nat- 
ural sequence  of  child-study,  and  the  adaptation  of  the  subject-matter 
of  religious  education  to  the  child's  development.  Suggested  curricula 
were  put  forth.  A  study  of  over  thirty  subject-graded  schemea  used 
in  various  schools  showed  a  remarkably  general  agreement,  indicat- 
ing that  the  main  outline  hit  upon  was  psychologically  and  pedagog- 
ically  sound. 

The  manuals  set  forth  by  this  commission  are  at  least  valuable  a«; 
a  beginning.  Certainly,  it  cannot  be  supposed  that  they  represent  an 
ideal,  but  they  may  point  the  way  towards  text-books  that  shall  more 
worthily  meet  the  requirements  of  religious  education. 

Much  is  involved  in  any  radical  and  sweeping  changes.  The  Inter- 
national or  Uniform  Lessons  are  too  strongly  intrenched  in  the  tradi- 
tions and  honest  preferences  of  a  vast  majority  of  our  Sunday  schools, 
and  have  played  too  important  a  part  in  the  last  generation ,  to  be  easily 
set  aside.  But  even  in  this  great  system,  under  its  earnest  and  inspir- 
ing leaders,  there  has  been  an  effort  made  to  adjust  and  harmonize  its 
uniformity  with  the  best  educational  principles.  Meanwhile,  existing 
systems,  like  the  International,  the  Blakeslee,  and  the  Joint  Diocesan, 
are  steadily  seeking  to  improve  the  quality  of  their  work. 

6.   Large   Organization.     There    is    a    marked    tendency    towards 


174  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

more  careful  organization  of  the  school  and  the  church.  The  individual 
school  here  and  there  may  be  highly  organized,  and  it  is  probably  true 
that  every  successful  school  is  managed  v^ith  thoroughness.  But  this 
is  not  the  common  condition,  and  this  tendency  to  bring  every  school 
into  closer  corporate  union  with  all  other  schools  is  a  most  important 
feature. 

I  desire  to  call  attention  to  the  practical  importance  of  organization 
within  each  denomination.  An  interesting  movement  is  now  starting 
in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  Every  presiding  elder  is  urged 
"  to  make  himself  familiar  with  the  modern  Sunday  school,  and  so  be 
able  to  inspire  his  pastors  with  enthusiasm,  to  hold  frequently  Sunday 
school  institutes  in  his  district,  grouping  several  churches,  and  bringing 
together  pastors,  and  superintendents,  and  teachers  for  the  discussion 
of  practical  problems  concerning  their  work."  Lists  of  subjects  are 
given  for  such  conferences,  and  a  carefully  selected  list  of  helpful  and 
inspiring  books.  Every  school  is  urged  to  provide  itself  with  a  full 
library  of  the  best  books  covering  all  phases  of  the  subject. 

At  the  last  General  Convention  of  the  Episcopal  Church,  a  joint- 
commission  on  Sunday  school  Instruction  was  appointed  with  a  view 
to  a  thorough  investigation  of  the  matter.  Some  forty  diocesan  com- 
missions or  organizations  already  exist.  This  movement  is  developing 
the  more  elaborate  organization  of  each  diocese,  through  its  archdea- 
conin  and  deanerin.  This  same  demand  for  more  detailed  organiza- 
tion is  being  felt  in  other  communions  also.  The  effort  to  knit 
together  in  firm,  corporate  life  the  schools  of  each  denomination  is 
highly  important. 

One  of  the  greatest  contributions  made  by  the  International  Lesson 
Committee  to  the  religious  life  of  our  time  has  been  this  bringing  to- 
gether of  those  churches  using  their  lessons. 

7.  Sunday  School  Exhibits.  The  exhibit,  as  presented  during  this 
convention,  contains  full  specimens  of  Sunday-school  apparatus,  liter- 
ature, and  methods  of  teaching  as  used  by  Protestants,  Romanists  and 
Jews.  The  value  of  such  exhibits  is  at  once  conceded.  One  great 
exhibit'  already  embraces  over  10,000  individual  helps,  including  almost 
every  article  demanded  in  Sunday  school  equipment.  It  is  hoped 
that  this  special  exhibit  can  be  enlarged  into  a  complete  museum,  rep- 
resenting the  evolution  of  Sunday  school  methods  for  the  last  fifty  years. 
Meanwhile,  other  exhibits  have  been  started  elsewhere.  Every  great 
center  of  Sunday  school  influence  should  possess  some  such  collection. 
It  is  of  the  greatest  educational  value  and  helpfulness. 

'New  York  Sunday  School  Commission  Exhibit,  2q  Lafayette  Place. 


ANNUAL  SURVEY  OF  SUNDAY  SCHOOL  PROGRESS       175 

The  development  of  manual  work  in  the  Sunday  school,  as  seen  in 
map-modeling,  map-drawing,  and  models  of  Oriental  utensils,  houses, 
etc.,  is  of  great  importance.  And  the  large  exhibit,  or  the  model,  or 
exhibit-room  of  the  individual  school,  is  destined  to  play  an  important 
part  in  the  religious  education  of  the  future. 

II.  In  closing,  I  desire  to  call  attention  to  several  things  which  bear 
more  particularly  on  the  future. 

1.  The  Home.  The  religious  life  of  the  past  quarter  of  a  century 
has  seen  a  distinct  decline  in  the  religious  life  of  the  home.  The  pres- 
ent indication  seems  to  point  to  better  things.  Two  immediately  pro- 
ductive causes  for  this  improvement  are  the  Cradle-roll  and  the  Home 
Department.  These  work  upon  the  finer  sentiments  of  parents  and 
children.  They  produce  their  results  less  by  direct  exhortation  than 
by  the  creation  of  interest  and  appeals  to  the  spiritual  imagination. 

2.  Week-day  Lessons.  It  is  a  question  already  asked,  and  destined 
to  come  more  to  the  front  in  future,  whether  an  effort  should  not  be 
made  to  secure  a  week-day  session  of  the  Sunday  school.  Some  ar- 
rangement may  be  found  by  which  the  children  can  be  assembled  in 
grades,  on  different  days,  and  so  brought  under  more  careful  instruction. 
In  most  parishes  the  pastor  is  to-day  too  little  in  touch  with  his  chil- 
dren. Some  such  departmental  work  on  week-days  might  lead  to  a 
real  enrichment  of  the  Sunday  worship  in  behalf  of  children. 

3.  Finally,  the  Spiritual  Life  of  the  Child.  I  am  not  here  speaking 
of  the  evangelizing  work  of  the  school.  The  period  of  personal  religious 
interest,  the  espousal  of  Christ,  whether  we  associate  it  with  Decision 
Day,  or  with  Confirmation  and  First  Communion,  is  never  to  be  for- 
gotten. Granted  this,  I  have  in  mind  something  that  this  only  empha- 
sizes —  and  that  is  worship. 

The  Sunday  school  has  sometimes  been  called  the  children's  church. 
And  in  a  vast  number  of  cases  it  has  been  practically  the  only  church 
the  child  knew,  and  the  teacher  the  only  preacher.  But  that  this  de- 
scribes the  Sunday  school  in  any  true  sense  cannot  be  allowed. 

The  school  is  not  the  church.  School  prayers  are  not  worship  in 
any  other  sense  than  private  devotion  may  be  called  worship.  The 
Sunday  school  prayer  should  lead  to  and  train  for  the  service  of  the 
church.  Much  has  been  written  on  the  child  at  study.  We  must 
turn  our  attention  to  the  child  at  worship.  The  two  things  are  distinct 
operations  of  the  soul.  If  our  school  lessons  are  to  be  made  pedago- 
gically  sound,  our  hymns  and  prayers  and  ceremonies  of  worship  must 
be  made  equally  true  to  the  child. 

Religion  must  not  miss  the  ministry  of  beauty  and  form,  and    the 


176  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

reverent  play  and  expression  of  rich  and  holy  ceremonies  of  worship 
belong  by  right  to  the  child. 

My  plea  is  for  the  child  and  his  right  to  the  richest  heritage  our 
Christian  faith  can  bring  into  his  life.  For  human  nature  is  older 
than  any  one  church  or  any  one  point  of  view,  and  let  us  remember 
that  though  each  child  passes  on,  yet  the  child  is  ever  with  us.  We 
may  well  take  up,  therefore,  this  comparatively  untrodden  field  of  in- 
vestigation, and  ask  how  we  can  best  lead  the  child,  through  worship, 
into  the  presence  of  his  Father,  and,  if  necessary,  how  we  can  adjust 
our  older  and  fixed  formulas  of  worship  to  the  needs  of  that  earlier 
age. 


THE  CHURCH'S  PROBLEM  OF  THE  RELIGIOUS  EDUCA- 
TION OF  ITS  PEOPLE 
PROFESSOR  IRVING  F.  WOOD,  Ph.D. 

SMITH    COLLEGE,    NORTHAMPTON,    MASSACHUSETTS 

The  Church  has  two  duties.  One  is  the  duty  of  instruction.  Chris- 
tianity and  Judaism  both  rest  upon  an  intelligent  grasp  of  certain  prin- 
ciples which  make  their  appeal  to  the  intellect.  These  are  embodied, 
not  only  in  lives,  but  in  books,  and  especially  in  The  Book.  They  must 
be  studied.  The  second  duty  is  that  of  inspiration.  The  Church  must 
inspire  men  so  to  relate  these  principles  to  their  lives  that  they  shall  no 
longer  lie  without,  but  within,  — a  part  of  life  itself.  It  is  essentially  the 
evangelistic,  the  spiritual.  The  problem  is,  How  is  the  church  to  fulfill 
these  two  functions  under  the  present  conditions? 

The  recognition  of  the  function  of  inspiration  is  old  and  familiar. 
Never,  perhaps,  was  it  more  emphasized  than  in  this  country  for  the 
past  150  years.  A  vast  congeries  of  agencies  sprang  up  to  fulfill  it; 
in  the  non-liturgical  churches  the  continuous  ministrations  of  the  pulpit 
and  the  prayer-meeting  were  supplemented  by  the  intermittent  ministry 
of  the  revival.  In  the  liturgical  churches  the  continuous  influence  of  the 
ritual  was  and  is  relied  upon.  Then  came  in  the  Sunday  school,  and 
the  religious  instinct  seized  upon  it  as  still  another  means  of  religious 
inspiration.  Its  instructional  character  was  made  distinctly  secondary 
to  its  religious. 

Here  lies  the  problem.  For  us,  inspiration  is  the  old  and  familiar 
function  of  the  Church.  Instruction  is  the  new.  The  old  has  its  chan- 
nels well  worn,  but  the  stream  in  them  is  sometimes  narrower  than  one 
could  wish.  The  new  will  soon  be  a  full  flood,  with  few  well-worn 
channels  in  which  it  can  flow.  How  can  we  turn  this  new  flood 
into  the  old  channels  ?  How  can  we  so  use  the  instruction  upon  which 
the  Church  will,  we  believe,  lay  great  stress  in  the  near  future,  so  that 
it  shall  increase  rather  than  diminish  the  power  of  the  Church  for  in- 
spiration? How  shall  we  absorb  the  new  partial  truth,  and  not  let  the 
old  partial  truth  go? 

Let  us  recognize,  in  the  first  place,  how  very  far  apart  these  two  func- 
tions of  the  Church  are.  Inspiration  cannot  be  gained  by  instruction, 
nor  can  instruction  be  gained  by  inspiration.  To  try  to  mingle  the  two 
in  one  operation  is  to  invite  the  faflure  of  both.  Probably  the  funda- 
mental difficulty  with  the  Sunday  school  has  lain  at  this  point.     The 

177 


178  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

same  half-hour  has  been  expected  to  yield  results  in  two  entirely  different 
fields,  and  naturally  the  actual  issue  has  been  too  little  result  in  either. 
The  method  of  the  jumble  of  the  two  has  had  a  fair  trial,  and  has  failed, 
as  one  might  have  expected  it  would.  We  cannot  find  the  solution  of 
the  problem  in  this  direction. 

The  first  step  toward  the  solution  of  the  problem,  then,  is  the  clear 
recognition  of  the  analysis  of  its  elements.  Religion  cannot  be  taught. 
There  are  things  which  can  be  taught,  and  which  the  church  must  teach. 
Stories  about  the  men  of  the  Bible  can  be  taught  in  such  a  way  as  to 
illustrate  moral  and  religious  truths.  The  Hfe  of  Jesus  can  be  taught 
in  such  a  way  as  to  bring  the  pupil  into  contact  with  the  divine  power 
of  that  hfe.  The  thoughts  and  feelings  of  religious  men  can  be  taught 
as  they  have  expressed  themselves  in  the  Bible.  But  when  we  turn  to 
religion  itself,  the  instructional  function  disappears  and  the  function 
of  inspiration  takes  its  place. 

A  second  step  toward  the  solution  of  our  problem  lies  in  the  recog- 
nition of  the  fact  that  the  human  mind  is  not  made  up  of  water-tight 
compartments.  These  two  functions  of  which  I  have  been  speaking 
are  totally  and  radically  different.  Different  methods  must  be  em- 
ployed for  the  fulfillment  of  each,  and  yet  one  influences  the  other.  In- 
struction, rightly  done,  yields  results  which  inspiration  may  take  up  and 
use. 

From  this  a  third  step  follows.  It  is  the  Church's  business  so  to  in- 
struct that  such  results  may  be  available  for  inspiration.  It  ought  to 
do  this,  no  matter  what  the  subject  of  teaching.  If  the  church  teaches 
reading  to  a  Chinese,  or  sanitation  to  a  mothers'  club,  it  ought  to  regard 
that  work,  so  far  as  it  is  church  work,  as  absolute  failure  unless  it  yields, 
not  religious  inspiration  itself,  but  seme  result  which  religious  inspira- 
ation  may  take  hold  of  and  use. 

The  Sunday  school  is,  on  the  whole,  however,  most  advantageously 
placed  in  regard  to  this  matter.  Its  subject  of  study  is  the  Bible.  Now, 
it  is  impossible  to  study  the  Bible  from  any  point  of  view — lower  criti- 
cism, higher  criticism,  literary,  historical,  or  any  other  —  without  finding 
one's  self  at  some  time  in  the  course  of  the  study  in  the  presence  of 
great,  inspiring,  spiritual  truths.  The  keenest,  most  intellectual  study 
leads  up  to  that,  as  well  as  the  devout  reading  of  the  humblest  disciple. 

But  now  we  face  the  heart  of  the  problem.  It  is  not  theoretical,  but 
practical.  How  shall  we  translate  instruction  into  inspiration  ?  Where 
is  our  transformer,  to  change  the  current  from  one  potential  to  another? 
There  are  no  means  in  full  operation  at  present  that  are  at  all  adequate 
to  do  it.     To  use  the  clerical  term  we  want  a  good  transformer. 


THE  CHURCH'S  PROBLEM  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION  179 

There  are,  however,  several  means  in  germ  which  may  perhaps 
later  develop  into  something  of  real  use.  One  is  the  present  insistence 
on  continuity  and  proportion  in  the  Sunday  school  study  of  the  Bible. 
It  is  plain  to  see  that  the  future  will  insist  more  than  the  past  has  done 
on  the  larger  divisions,  rather  than  the  smaller,  in  Bible  study,  on  books 
and  periods  of  history  and  groups  of  literature.  This  will  reduce  the 
tendency  to  make  every  lesson  convey  a  separate  and  distinct  religious 
teaching.  Often  one  must  work  through  a  book  or  a  period,  the  labor 
perhaps  of  a  long  series  of  lessons,  before  the  results  which  religion  can 
use  become  available.  Then  they  appear  naturally,  and  take  their 
proper  place  in  the  structure  of  Biblical  religion.  If  all  the  present 
discussion  of  method  and  curriculum  will  result  in  this,  it  will  be  a 
great  gain. 

Another  element  in  the  possible  solution  of  the  problem  is  the  use 
of  special  seasons  for  —  let  me  use  the  old-fashioned  word  —  spiritual 
ingathering.  Decision  day  is  such  a  season.  The  occasional  pastor's 
class  during  Lent,  or  at  any  other  time  in  the  year,  is  another.  Of  course 
there  is  need  of  wisdom  in  arranging  and  carrying  out  such  plans.  The 
particular  advantage  of  their  connection  with  the  Sunday  school  is 
that  thus  they  naturally  invite  a  recognized  relation  between  instruction 
and  inspiration.  In  general,  the  pastor's  place  in  the  Sunday  school 
has  not  been  used  to  its  full  value.  All  the  traditions  of  the  pastorate, 
and,  usually,  the  experience  of  his  work,  make  him  the  person,  above 
all  others,  who  might  be  able  to  translate  instruction  into  inspiration. 
How  it  may  be  done  each  pastor  must  work  out  for  himself.  He,  at  least, 
has  a  free  field,  and  is  not  hampered  by  traditional  methods. 

Possibly,  the  opening  and  closing  exercises  of  the  school  can,  in  some 
cases,  be  made  to  have  a  definite  religious  value.  At  present,  it  is 
doubtful  whether  they  commonly  have  any  value  at  all.  They  seem 
to  be  held  because  it  is  customary  to  hold  them.  They  ought  to  have 
a  value  for  the  instruction,  if  for  nothing  else.  But  they  can  never  be 
relied  upon  to  supply  the  entire  means  of  reHgious  inspiration.  They 
are  too  short,  too  much  dominated  by  the  spirit  of  instruction,  which 
should  rule  the  Sunday  school  lesson  itself. 

Can  the  Sunday  school  be  so  managed  as  to  inculcate  a  spirit  of 
reverence?  It  deals  with  a  religious  subject.  There  seems  to  be  no 
reason  why  it  should  not  be  conducted  as  reverently  as 'the  church  service. 
I  ask  in  all  seriousness.  Can  you  expect  a  confused,  undignified  hubbub 
to  yield  results  which  religious  reverence  can  use  ? 


i8o  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

REV.  J.  T.  McFARLAND,  D.  D. 

EDITOR    SUNDAY   SCHOOL   PUBLICATIONS    OF  THE   METHODIST    EPISCOPAL  CHURCH, 

NEW  YORK  CITY 

The  church's  problem  of  the  religious  education  of  its  people  con- 
sists of  two  factors:  First,  furnishing  the  people  with  adequate  instruc- 
tion in  the  facts  and  principles  of  morality  and  religion;  and  second, 
giving  them  needed  guidance  in  the  moral  and  religious  activities  of 
their  lives;  and  both  of  these  to  the  end  that  moral  and  religious  devel- 
opment may  be  effected  and  Christian  character  formed.  Upon  this 
problem,  in  both  of  its  phases,  the  Church  has  always  been  engaged, 
and    has  done  and  is  doing  much. 

But  the  Sunday  school  is  at  great  disadvantage  as  respects  the  pos- 
sibility of  securing  high  efficiency  on  the  part  of  its  teachers,  because 
of  the  short  time  to  which  its  work  is  confined.  The  majority  of  the 
public  school  teachers  never  had  any  direct  normal  training;  by  ex- 
perience in  the  schoolroom  and  by  association  with  more  experienced 
teachers,  they  have  learned  how  to  teach.  But  the  teacher  in  the  public 
school  has  an  opportunity  for  practice  in  teaching  far  beyond  the  teacher 
in  the  Sunday  school,  for  his  work  covers  six  hours  a  day  for  five  days 
in  the  week,  while  the  Sunday  school  teacher  has  really  but  about  thirty 
minutes  a  week.  Thirty  hours  against  thirty  minutes  is  a  wide  differ- 
ence. If  we  will  consider  the  literature  of  the  Sunday  school  for  the 
teaching  of  the  current  Bible  lessons,  we  are  impressed  with  its  redun- 
dancy rather  than  its  poverty.  An  excellent  guidance  has  been  provided 
in  methods  of  teaching  also.  The  Bible  teacher  at  least  has  put  within 
his  easy  reach  the  means  for  acquiring  a  knowledge  of  the  principles 
of  pedagogy  as  applied  to  his  work.  So  that  we  may  safely  affirm,  in 
spite  of  all  imperfections  and  deficiencies,  that  the  great  defect  of  the 
Church  does  not  lie  in  a  lack  of  properly  prepared  material  for  religious 
instruction,  nor  chiefly  in  an  inefficient,  because  untrained,  teaching 
force. 

The  great  defect  in  our  whole  system  of  religious  education  lies  in 
a  radical  oversight  or  omission;  namely,  the  failure  to  perceive  that 
moral  and  religious  education  must  include  moral  and  religious  action, 
and  that  it  is  the  duty  of  the  Church  not  simply  to  give  direction  to 
the  work  of  instruction,  but  to  give  direction  to  the  activities  of  those 
under  its  care  as  well.  In  entering,  some  nine  months  ago,  upon  my 
office  as  editor  of  the  Sunday  school  literature  of  my  church,  I  deter- 
mined to  do  something  towards  strengthening  the  work  of  the  Sunday 
school  at  what  I  consider  its  weakest  point.  That  point  of  weakness 
is  almost  a  break  in  the  chain,  so  almost  entirely  has  it  been  overlooked 


THE  CHURCH'S  PROBLEM  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION     i8i 

so  far  as  any  systematic  provision  for  the  need  is  concerned  —  the  mis- 
sing hnk,  namely,  that  should  connect  instruction  and  activity  in  the 
process  of  education.  The  very  thought  of  the  necessity  of  this  link 
has  been  almost  wholly  overlooked.  I  therefore  introduced  into  our 
Sunday  school  Journal  and  Bible  Student's  Magazine,  as  a  regular  part 
of  the  lesson  helps,  a  department  which  I  call  "  The  School  of  Practice." 
In  explanation  I  quote  from  my  editorial  introduction  of  this  depart- 
ment. 

"  Our  purpose  in  '  The  School  of  Practice  '  is  to  help  the  teachers 
in  our  Sunday  schools  to  give  some  current  guidance  to  the  moral  and 
religious  activities  of  the  members  of  their  classes.  It  raises  the  question, 
'  In  view  of  the  truth  of  the  lesson,  what  practical  things  ought  we  to 
do  during  the  coming  week  in  fulfillment  of  that  truth  ?'  It  enables  the 
teacher  at  the  close  of  each  lesson  to  say  to  the  class,  '  Well,  now,  we 
have  learned  such  and  such  truths  from  the  lesson  to-day;  now,  what 
immediate  use  can  we  make  of  these  truths  ?  How  can  we  carry  them 
out  during  the  week?  What  shall  we  do?'  And  then,  having  raised 
these  questions,  not  to  leave  the  whole  matter  indefinite,  but  to  go  for- 
ward and  put  the  members  of  the  class  upon  specific  lines  of  moral  and 
religious  practice.  The  constant  word  should  be,  '  We  have  learned; 
now   let  us  do.'     For,  otherwise  our  knowledge  will    condemn  us.  " 

The  recognition  of  the  fact  that  "  That  which  is  not  expressed  dies," 
should  startle  us  when  we  consider  what  for  the  most  part  we  are 
doing  in  our  Sunday  schools.  We  have  been  absorbed  in  the  task  of 
instruction.  We  have  considered  that  we  have  fulfilled  our  mission 
when  we  have  conveyed  moral  and  religious  knowledge  to  the  children 
and  youth  of  our  schools.  We  have  used  the  best  obtainable  helps  for 
teaching  and  have  done  our  utmost  to  rightly  guide  the  thinking  of 
our  scholars.  But  we  have  not  made  any  systematic  attempt  to  guide 
their  activities.  Sabbath  after  Sabbath  we  have  brought  forward  some 
of  the  great  truths  of  the  Bible,  and  we  have  not  taken  pains  to  in- 
quire whether  those  truths  have  been  carried  out  into  the  activities  of 
the  days  lying  between  the  Sabbaths.  The  result  has  been  that  thou- 
sands of  our  young  people  have  become  over-loaded  with  a  surfeit  of 
unemployed  knowledge,  and  have  acquired  a  habit  of  regarding  truth 
indifferently  as  a  thing  to  be  given  passive  attention  and  forgotten. 
We  should  bring  ourselves  up  to  the  recognition  of  this  —  that  it  is 
not  a  pious  thing  to  come  together  and  talk  about  truth  and  duty 
without  any  purpose  or  plan  to  obey  the  truth  and  perform  the  duty 
that  may  be  presented  to  us.  So  far  from  this  being  pious  and  relig- 
ious, it  may  be,  and  I  think  often  is,  impious  and  irreligious. 


i82  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

PRESIDENT  WILLIAM  DOUGLAS  MACKENZIE,  D.  D. 

HARTFORD   THEOLOGICAL    SEMINARY,  HARTFORD,  CONNECTICUT 

Self-criticism  is  one  of  the  conditions  of  spiritual  growth,  alike  in 
the  individual  and  in  the  community.  It  is  a  law  of  our  nature  that 
we  attain  our  ideals  only  through  dissatisfaction  with  our  present  spiritual 
possessions.  The  Church,  to-day,  in  facing  the  problem  of  the  educa- 
tion of  its  people,  is  exercising  afresh  its  duty  of  self-criticism.  It 
has  been  made  to  feel  that  its  work  is  not  as  thoroughly  done  as  it  ought 
to  be,  and  that  weakness  results  on  various  sides  of  its  life  through 
this  failure. 

There  are  those  who  occupy  a  peculiar  position  to-day  by  at  once 
urging  rehgious  education  and  yet  affecting  to  despise  the  teaching  of 
religious  truth.  It  is  true  that  they  mask  the  latter  under  the  term  of 
doctrine,  or  throw  scorn  upon  it  by  the  use  of  the  epithet  "  dogma"; 
but  we  must  face  the  fact  that  there  is  no  teaching  of  religion  that  does 
not  imply  the  inculcation  of  certain  conceptions  of  God  and  of  Christ 
and  of  the  way  of  salvation.  We  are  not  able  to  live  our  life  without 
laying  hold  of  truth.  We  are  rational  beings,  and  it  is  through  the  exer- 
cise of  our  reason  that  we  discover  at  once  our  task,  our  relations,  and 
our  destiny.  In  our  day  the  attempt  to  get  people  to  be  religious  will 
utterly  fail  unless  we  tell  them  what  it  is  to  be  religious;  and  that  can 
only  be  done  by  winning  their  belief  in  certain  great  facts  and  their 
place  in  the  history  of  the  race  and  of  the  individual  man.  Over  against 
a  skepticism  that  sweeps  away  the  truth  of  the  Scriptures  we  present  the 
reality  of  that  sublime  revelation  which  God  has  made  through  them 
to  the  whole  race.  Over  against  materialism  which  infests  our  social 
life  and  penetrates  like  a  deadly  miasma  into  our  churches,  and  even 
paralyzes  some  good  men  in  the  pulpit,  the  Church  must  set  the  reality 
and  glory  of  the  spiritual.  Now,  to  do  all  this  implies  that  people  must 
use  their  intellects  in  order  to  be  Christian,  and  that  other  people  must 
use  a  great  deal  more  intellect  in  order  to  instruct  them.  As  a  matter 
of  fact,  we  find  that  wherever  there  is  a  teaching  ministry  which 
knows  what  to  teach  and  how  to  teach,  there  we  find  a  solid  faith 
among  the  people,  and  a  fervent  response  to  every  true  religious 
appeal. 

This  work  must  begin  among  the  children.  They  are  being  taught, 
in  many  parts  of  the  country,  in  the  pubhc  schools  that  they  must  be 
"  good,"  and  there  a  great  deal  of  very  useful  moral  instruction  is  given, 
and  some  valuable  influences  by  earnest  teachers  are  exercised.  But  it  is 
curious  that  intelligent  people  do  not  see  that  exactly  in  this  way  they 
have  not  only  not  avoided  sectarian  teaching,  but  have  actually  adopted 


THE  CHURCH'S  PROBLEM  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION     183 

the  teaching  of  the  meanest  and  poorest  sect  in  the  country.  The  people 
who  call  themselves  Secularists,  who  send  to  us  ministers  stupid  tracts, 
printed  badly,  on  poor  paper,  in  bad  grammar,  are  those  who  have  as 
loudly  as  any  shouted  against  sectarian  teaching  in  the  public  schools. 
Now,  their  doctrine  is  that  it  is  possible  for  men  to  be  good  without  God; 
and  it  is  their  doctrine  which,  by  the  avoidance  of  the  name  of  God,  is 
being  taught  in  a  good  many  public  schools.  There  is  here  a  loud  call 
of  the  Church  to  exercise  every  endeavor  to  bring  home,  even  to  little 
children,  the  fundamental  message  of  Jesus,  that  "  there  is  none  good 
save  one;  that  is  God  only."  But  this  means  that  the  Religious  Edu- 
cation Association  is  charged,  through  its  Sunday  School  Department 
with  the  task  of  rousing  everywhere  a  passionate  determination  that 
this  Secularist  poison  shall  spread  no  further,  and  that  somehow  chil- 
dren shall  receive  the  great  message  that  God  must  be  known  and  loved 
if  men  would  be  good. 

I  believe  that  in  relation  to  the  children  the  churches  ought,  in  larger 
number  and  with  more  efl&ciency,  to  attempt  the  giving  of  religious  in- 
struction in  connection  with  the  Bible  schools  on  week-days.  I  know 
that  some  denominations  already  succeed  in  a  very  creditable  measure 
in  doing  this.  A  large  number  of  Lutheran  ministers  find  it  possible, 
during  the  holiday  season  as  well  as  at  other  times,  to  gather  their 
children  for  parts  of  one  or  two  week  days  and  give  them  sound  con- 
secutive teaching  in  Christian  history,  Christian  doctrine,  and  the 
life  and  meaning  of  the  Church.  If  this  is  done  still  more  than  at  present, 
it  will  enable  our  churches  to  emphasize  the  religious  side  in  their  Sunday 
work.  They  will  gather  the  children  distinctively  for  worship.  It  will 
be  felt,  that  if  a  child  is  being  well  taught  in  the  history  of  Israel,  or  in  the 
details  of  the  life  of  Paul,  during  the  week,  on  Sunday  his  attention  must 
be  fastened  upon  the  great  spiritual  lessons ;  that  his  heart  may  worship 
the  livinff  God. 


Discussion 

REV.  LEMUEL  CALL  BARNES,  D.D. 

PASTOR  FIRST  BAPTIST  CHURCH,  WORCESTER,  MASSACHUSETTS 

First,  the  only  problem  which  we  ought  to  be  discussing  at  this 
particular  hour  is  "  The  Church's  Problem  of  the  Religious  Education 
of  Its  People  "  through  the  agency  of  the  Sunday  school. 

This  involves,  however,  at  the  outset,  the  fact  that  the  Sunday 
school  is  utterly  inadequate  to  the  religious  education  of  the  people, 
even  the  church  people,  to  say  nothing  of  the  community  as'a  whole. 
The  Sunday  school  is  not  only  inadequate  as  it  is  now  constituted;  it 


i84  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

will  be  hopelessly  inadequate  when  it  has  been  brought  to  that  state 
of  perfection  toward  which  this  Sunday  School  Department  of  the 
Religious  Education  Association  is  to  help  it  to  come.  The  live  church 
has  already  at  least  five  well-developed  organs  of  religious  education; 
first  of  all,  the  Christian  Home;  second,  the  Pulpit;  third,  the  Woman's 
Association;  fourth,  the  Men's  League;  and  fifth,  the  Young  People's 
Society.  A  number  of  other  functions  of  healthy  life  are  evolving 
organs  for  their  expression.  We  have  boys'  work,  girls'  work,  lecture- 
course  work,  and  many  more  kinds  of  religious  educational  work. 

In  the  second  place,  therefore,  our  problem  is  so  to  specialize  the 
work  of  the  Sunday  school  that  it  shall  have  the  clearness  and  sharp- 
ness of  purpose,  the  intensity  of  interest,  and  the  incisiveness  of  impact 
which  belong  to  a  specialty.  What  shall  be  its  one  aim?  Shall  it 
be  to  impart  a  knowledge  of  the  Hebrew-Christian  Scriptures?  The 
tendency  to  call  it  a  Bible  school  perhaps  points  in  this  direction. 
If  it  tried  to  do  nothing  else,  might  not  its  religious  outcome  be  great- 
est? Could  we  not  trust  that  unrivaled  and  supernal  literature  to  do 
its  best  work  when  left  to  itself?  Is  it  not  possible  that  we  blunder 
educationally  in  putting  many  things  in  our  one  hour  a  week  between 
the  Holy  Spirit's  matchless  work  and  the  pupil's  spirit?  Whether 
all  evangelistic,  indoctrinating,  and  inspirational  work,  as  well  as  all 
other  educational  work,  might  well  be  left  to  other  organs  of  the  church, 
is  a  real  question.  At  any  rate,  even  if  not  exclusive  of  other  things, 
the  one  dominating  specialty  of  the  Sunday  school  must  ultimately 
be  the  study,  the  actual  study,  of  the  Sacred  Writings. 

Third,  when  the  purpose  of  the  Sunday  school  has  been  clarified, 
the  next  factor  in  the  solution  of  our  problem  will  be  the  method  of 
teaching.  The  method  which  has  prevailed  for  the  most  part  is  the 
sermonette  method.  In  the  average  Sunday  school  class  self-activity 
on  the  part  of  the  pupil  has  been  at  a  minimum,  oftener  at  zero.  In 
all  other  educational  institutions,  from  the  kindergarten  to  post- 
graduate fellowships,  the  principle  now  mainly  depended  upon  is 
"  learning  by  doing."  Instead  of  coming  into  the  Sunday  school  last, 
it  ought  to  have  come  into  it  first,  because  it  is  pre-eminently  the  method 
of  Christian  education,  as  the  great  Teacher  himself  said. 

The  Sunday  school  teachers  who  have  been  most  effective  have 
always  been  those  who  got  the  pupils  to  doing  something  about  the 
lessons  themselves.  The  simple  written  answers  of  the  Bible  Study 
Union  lessons  have  been  an  immeasurable  good  to  hundreds  of 
pupils. 

Fourth,  having  obtained  a  clear  purpose  and  a  right  method,  we 


THE  CHURCH'S  PROBLEM  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION     185 

should  be  ready  for  the  most  important  factor  of  all  in  the  solution 
of  our  problem  namely,  the  training  of  teachers. 

Then  should  come  a  fifth  factor;  i.  e.,  Sunday  school  equipment. 
Not  one  Sunday  school  in  ten  thousand  at  the  present  time  has  the 
rooms  and  appliances  which  are  desirable,  if  the  very  best  work  is  to 
be  done. 

Whatever  we  may  think  of  these  five  factors,  or  of  any  other  way  of 
analyzing  the  problem,  the  one  inspiring  thing  about  the  whole  matter 
at  the  present  time  is  the  fact  that  we  have  discovered  that  there  is 
a  problem,  a  tremendous  problem,  awaiting  solution.  We  have  the 
joy  of  working  in  a  situation  where  the  best  things  are  all  in  front  of 
us,  to  be  growingly  discovered,  growingly  appropriated,  and  grow- 
ingly  put  into  fruitful  service. 


CLARA  BANCROFT  BEATLEY 

PRINCIPAL  OF  DISCIPLES  SCHOOL,  CHURCH  OF  DISCIPLES,   BOSTON,  MASSACHUSETTS 

The  problem  of  the  education  of  the  religious  sentiment  of  the  people 
of  the  Church  will  be  solved  as  the  Church  succeeds  in  providing  for 
the  growing  life  within  its  care,  a  continuity  of  high  spiritual  influence 
and  instruction. 

The  children  of  the  Church  are  its  most  important  care.  In  the  solv- 
ing of  no  other  problem  may  it  more  truly  be  said,  "  A  little  child  shall 
lead  them." 

A  forward  step  has  been  taken  by  churches  in  establishing  kinder- 
gartens during  the  hour  of  church-service.  The  home  is  thus  strength- 
ened at  the  time  of  its  greatest  need.  The  formation  of  the  stay-at-home 
habit,  the  self-centering  of  family  life,  the  gradual  lowering  of  spiritual 
ideals  —  these  insidious  dangers  are  all  averted  by  the  foresight  of  the 
Church.  While  the  children  are  happily  cared  for  in  the  kindergarten, 
parents  may  be  constant  in  church  attendance  and  be  helped  from  week 
to  week  into  a  growing  appreciation  of  the  home  ideal. 

A  nursery,  in  some  instances,  accompanies  the  kindergarten.  One 
may  well  believe  that  hymn  and  prayer,  and  every  spoken  word,  will 
glow  with  new  significance  as  the  thought  of  the  sleeping  child  and  the 
happily  playful  child,  intelligently  cared  for  in  the  church  nursery,  sug- 
gests in  quiet  undertone  the  gospel  message. 

A  church  that  secures  the  constant  attendance  of  the  parents  of 
young  children  implants  its  message  in  willing  minds  and  receptive 
hearts, —  minds  and  hearts  recently  elevated  and  chastened  by  the  near- 
ness of  mystery  and  the  joy  of  life's  richest  experience.  No  church 
can  afford  to  lose  the  opportunity  to  touch  the  homes  thus  quickened 


i86  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

to  new  consciousness  of  duty.  The  old  custom  of  taking  very  young 
children  to  the  church  has  given  way  to  its  deplorable  opposite.  The 
child  is  brought  to  the  church  to  be  christened,  and  may  not  again 
appear  until  he  enters  the  primary  department.  The  parents,  mean- 
while, unconsciously  lower  their  standard  of  church  attendance,  appear- 
ing for  service  only  at  Christmas  and  at  Easter,  or  at  other  convenient 
intervals. 

The  school  which  the  church  establishes  should  provide,  through 
carefully  chosen  services,  an  atmosphere  of  reverence  in  which  all  lovely 
quahties  take  root.  A  graded  system  of  instruction,  presided  over  by 
trained  teachers,  leads  the  child  step  by  step  into  a  knowledge  of  his 
spiritual  inheritance.  He  catches  the  enthusiasm  for  truth  and  service. 
He  reaches  out  in  loyalty  to  the  church  that  has  shown  him  the  blessed 
way;  he  rejoices  in  the  crowning  experience  of  acknowledging  his  re- 
lationship. 

Through  the  growing  vision  of  the  past,  the  ideal  of  a  school  asso- 
ciated with  every  church,  has  been  constantly  unfolding.  Many  have 
consecrated  their  lives  to  this  ideal.  There  have  been  periods  of  emi- 
nent leadership  and  glowing  attainment.  It  remains  for  the  Church 
to  provide  the  conditions  of  sustained  leadership  and  attainment.  A 
volunteer  service  becomes  daily  more  di£&cult.  The  Church  itself  has 
created  the  philanthropic  agencies  that  increase  the  call  for  volunteer 
workers  at  every  hand. 

Continuity  of  guidance,  trained  teachers,  an  established  school  curric- 
ulum that  provides  for  recognition  of  the  child's  progress, —  these  are 
the  great  needs  in  the  church  to-day.  To  fulfill  these  needs  is  to  inspire 
the  confidence  and  loyalty  of  parents  and  secure  the  elements  of  stability 
and  permanence  essential  to  a  successful  school. 

In  planning  for  the  establishment  of  a  graded  school,  certain  truths 
are  evident : 

1.  The  choice  of  a  trained  service  and  a  graded  system  does  not 
imply  the  failure  of  other  methods.  It  recognizes  the  good  already 
attained,  while  it  seeks  a  higher  good. 

2.  A  trained  service  may  be  a  volunteer  service. 

3.  A  trained  service  may  be  the  service  of  such  day-school  teachers 
as  have  special  aptitude  for  religious  teaching  —  teachers  whose  po- 
sitions are  reasonably  secure,  through  successful  experience,  and  who 
welcome  the  Sunday  class  as  a  joy.  To  such  teachers  the  compensation 
may  give  means  of  vacation  travel,  or  other  recreation,  so  that  the  re- 
pair of  nervous  energy  may  be  equal  to  the  demand. 

4.  Teachers  who  are  insecure  in  their  daily  work,  who  are  over- 


THE  CHURCH'S  PROBLEM  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION     187 

whelmed  by  unfavorable  school  conditions,  who  have  not  acquired  the 
serenity  of  conscious  power,  or  who  have  heavy  responsibilities  out  of 
school  hours,  should  not  be  urged  to  Sunday  teaching.  I  infer  that 
President  Hyde  has  this  class  of  teachers  in  mind,  when  he  so  reason- 
ably points  out  the  wrong  of  pressing  day-school  teachers  into  Sunday 
service. 

5.  Trained  service,  again,  may  be  that  of  a  mother  whose  contact 
with  child-life  in  the  home,  added  to  a  successful  experience  as  a  teacher, 
makes  her  pre-eminently  a  leader  of  the  young. 

6.  A  graded  system  may  be  introduced  so  gradually  that  the 
transition  may  occasion  no  disturbance. 

7.  Day-school  methods  should  only  be  introduced  as  they  har- 
monize with  the  spirit  of  the  Church  and  clearly  make  for  efficiency. 

8.  The  minister,  freed  from  the  disappointments  of  an  uncertain 
teaching  service,  touches  the  school  at  his  highest  spiritual  power,  and 
becomes,  above  all,  the  true  preacher  and  prophet,  ministering  to  the 
souls^of  his'people. 


PRINCIPLES  UNDERLYING  THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 
CURRICULUM 

MR.  PATTERSON  DU  BOIS 

PHILADELPHIA 

Time  being  short,  I  took  such  a  luncheon  to-day  as  I  thought  would 
most  quickly  serve  me  best.  It  was  an  oyster  stew.  When  the  bowl 
was  set  before  me,  an  initial  taste  revealed  the  need  of  salt.  I  raised  my 
eyes,  saw  the  salt  in  the  distance,  but  gave  no  other  sign.  A  stranger 
had  the  instinct  to  see  my  necessity,  reached  the  needed  article  and  set 
it  before  me.     To  myself  I  said,  "  I  like  your  curriculum." 

It  was  only  a  second  or  two  long,  but  it  taught  me  to  discern,  to  feel, 
and  to  act  in  response  to  my  neighbor's  needs.  Scripture  texts  came 
to  mind  as  a  Christly  sanction.  We  complain  that  our  time  is  too  short 
in  Sunday  school  to  teach  much.  This  stranger  gave  me  a  life  lesson 
in  two  seconds.  It  is  our  business  to  do  the  most  possible  in  the  time 
that  we  have.  Here  is  a  point  for  teacher-training  as  well  as  Sunday 
school  teaching. 

Last  summer  I  visited  the  old  village  of  Brading,  in  the  Isle  of  Wight. 
Here  is  the  -ancient  church  where  Leigh  Richmond  ministered  a  cen- 
tury and  more  ago.  Here  is  the  churchyard  where,  under  a  spreading 
tree,  he  held  his  class  of  little  girls,  to  whom  he  taught  the  theology  of 
those  days,  as  well  as  Bible  passages,  catechisms,  and  hymns  for  mem- 
orizing. Death  was  a  more  important  consideration  to  the  Christian 
then  than  life. was.  The  tombstones  by  which  this  class  was  surrounded 
served  to  create  the  desired  atmosphere  and  to  point  the  gloomy  ideal. 
The  children  were  actually  made  to  memorize  epitaphs.  Little  Jane's 
parents  were  irreligious  and  wicked.  The  tract  which  Leigh  Richmond 
wrote,  describing  the  child's  progress  toward  a  beautiful,  unselfish  Chris- 
tian character,  was  famous  in  the  past  century.  The  last  sickness  and 
death  of  Jane  at  the  age  of  about  fourteen  is  touchingly  told.  It  pictures 
her  concern  for  her  parents  and  associates,  her  serene  faith,  her  supreme 
comfort  in  her  hymns,  her  Bible,  and  the  theological  interpretations  as 
she  had  taken  them  from  her  teacher's  lips. 

I  asked  myself  whether  the  pendulum  of  our  day  had  swung  too  far 
away  from  these  almost  hysterical  manifestations  of  a  past  era.  Have 
we  pursued  the  rational  and  the  so-called  "  practical  "  too  hotly  to  the 
neglect  of  the  emotional? 

Again,  suppose  Jane  had  been  born  in  a  similar  poverty  in  a  great 


THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL  CURRICULUM  189 

twentieth-century  city.  She  would  be  compelled  to  seek  self-support, 
minghng  with  many  persons  of  doubtful  conduct,  possibly  serving  em- 
ployers with  whom  she  would  become  tributary  to  or  even  principal  in 
sharp  practices  in  the  struggle  for  existence.  Would  the  purely  theo- 
logico-sentimental  curriculum  of  the  old  graveyard  have  so  cultivated 
her  moral  discernment  as  to  keep  her  as  straight  and  serenely  beautiful 
in  character  as  she  was  in  that  remote  village  ?  Is  not  the  stress  of  our 
industrial,  commercial,  and  poHtical  life  of  to-day  dulhng  what  moral 
discrimination  we  think  we  have?  I  believe  that  the  dishonorable  de- 
fections of  Christians  who  suppose  that  their  ideals  are  high  are  due 
largely  to  want  of  training  from  childhood  in  concrete  ethical  discrim- 
ination. There  is  a  larger  place  for  this  in  the  Sunday  school  curricu- 
lum than  the  mere  casual  side  issues  of  the  average  teacher.  And  this 
means  an  important  item  in  the  teacher's  training  also. 

But  that  Jane's  intimacy  with  Bible  texts  and  sacred  songs  was  an 
infinite  solace  and  delight  to  her  in  her  last  days  cannot  be  doubted. 
Have  we  not  in  this  also  swung  too  far  away  from  the  memory  treasures 
of  our  fathers?  Notwithstanding  the  austerities  of  the  indoctrination 
of  that  day,  it  is  noteworthy  that  the  Brading  class  was  held  in  a  beau- 
tiful spot  outdoors,  and  that  the  surroundings  were  valued  as  accessory 
suggestion.  Richmond  himself  claimed  that  there  was  value  in  the 
sweetness  of  nature,  as  well  as  in  the  solemnity  of  gravestones.  If  for 
these  melancholy  reminders  of  death  we  substitute  the  agencies  and 
ideals  of  life,  we  have  restored  something  of  that  effective  method  and 
applied  it  to  a  more  Christlike  purpose.  We  have  made  for  life  abun- 
dantly, instead  of  death  superabundantly.  Therefore  let  us  have  more 
of  what  might,  by  a  kind  of  courtesy  or  liberal  use  of  the  term,  be  called  a 
laboratory  method.  Let  us  not  stop  with  the  Bible,  but,  as  Paul  has  said 
that  all  things  are  ours,  draw  on  all  resources  —  books,  nature,  and  hu- 
man life  in  its  manifold  social  complexity.  Suppose  your  boys  or  girls 
were  to  report  on  incidents  or  cases  involving  ethical  discrimination  or 
religious  attitude  which  they  had  witnessed  or  to  which  they  were  a 
party.  Suppose,  also,  that  the  rights  and  wrongs,  the  advantages  and 
disadvantages,  growing  out  of  such  deeds  and  situations  were  referred 
back  to  Biblical  cases  or  precepts,  somewhat  as  a  physician  or  lawyer 
goes  to  his  library  for  precedents  and  authorities.  We  might  then  have 
a  closer  connection  between  the  school  and  life.  Even  though  without 
"  apparatus,"  we  should  have  the  laboratory  idea. 

Then,  too,  we  should  have  more  of  the  missionary  element.  But 
we  must  not  confine  this  to  the  contribution  of  money  to  Church 
"  boards."     If  there  are  grave  disclosures  of  vice  in  the  city,  and  an 


I90  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

effort  is  making  to  root  it  out  in  spite  of  political  protection,  your  boy 
and  girl  should  see  that  the  Church,  as  an  institution,  is  taking  a  hand 
in  the  process  of  purification.  He  or  she  should  not  think  missionary 
effort  is  confined  to  the  distant  and  the  invisible,  or  that  the  Church 
has  no  interest  in  the  near  and  the  immediate.  "  Forward  movements" 
should  concern  our  back  alleys  as  well  as  Corea. 

Lastly,  let  the  curriculum  be  large,  proceeding  by  wholes,  offering 
as  little  temptation  as  possible  to  the  teacher  for  petty  homily  or  for 
breaking  up  a  good  story  into  insipid  bits.  Let  it  include  the  exemplary 
fascination  of  biography  —  of  human  character  in  the  concrete. 

This  desultory  discussion  makes  no  pretense  to  the  form  of  a  cur- 
riculum. I  have  said  nothing  about  the  Bible  as  the  supreme  text-book, 
as  the  book  of  life  and  of  lives,  because  I  assume  that  we  are  already 
agreed  upon  that.  I  simply  remind  the  curriculum-maker  of  five  motifs 
—  a  proper  affection,  a  moral  discrimination,  a  memoriter  treasury,  a 
missionary  conscience,  and  a  broad  view. 


REV.  F.  N.  PELOUBET,  D.D. 

AUTHOR  PELOUBET'S  SELECT  NOTES  ON  THE  INTERNATIONAL  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 
LESSONS,  AUBURNDALE,  MASSACHUSETTS 

In  the  light  of  as  wide  a  study  of  published  curricula,  and  of  books 
on  child-study,  as  broad  an  observation  and  experience,  and  as  full  a 
conference  with  educators  as  have  come  within  my  limits,  I  would  lay 
down  as  scientifically  correct  the  following  principles: 

First.  It  is  an  axiom  that  the  curriaihim  must  he  adapted  in  both  ma- 
terial and  method  to  the  varying  stages  of  mental  development  and  religious 
growth  of  the  pupils.  It  was  well  said  at  our  Philadelphia  meeting, 
that  "  No  one  who  has  studied  both  the  Bible  and  the  child  can  believe 
that  all  parts  of  the  Bible  have  an  equally  high  culture  value  at  every 
stage  of  development." 

Second.  A  really  scientific  curriculum  must  take  into  account  all  the 
factors  of  the  problem,  and  refuse  to  overemphasize  any  one  factor  at  the 
expense  of  the  others.  There  are  several  factors  which  are  frequently 
ignored,  or  allowed  too  meager  an  influence;  so  that  while  the  curricula 
are  scientific  in  some  directions,  as  in  the  psychology  of  the  child,  they 
are  unscientific  in  not  giving  due  weight  to  other  essential  elements  in 
the  actual  working  out  of  the  problem. 

Some  neglected  factors.  The  limit  of  time  in  the  Sunday  school,  one 
half  hour  a  week.  It  is  absolutely  impossible  within  that  limit  of  time 
to  utilize  a  curriculum  for  the  entire  religious  education  of  the  child, 


THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL  CURRICULUM  191 

without  a  miracle.  Such  a  curriculum  would  be  a  wise  educational 
measure,  but  not  a  wise  Sunday  school  curriculum. 

The  kind  of  studies  to  which  a  Sunday  school  curriculum  is  limited. 
Literature,  in  some  of  its  forms,  and  not  the  wider  range  of  the  day- 
school  curricula. 

The  changing  nature  of  the  Simday  school  clientele.  Only  a  small 
proportion  of  the  pupils  —  not  one  fourth  —  remain  in  the  same  school 
for  a  long  period  —  say  10  to  15  years. 

The  great  variation  in  the  times  and  the  rapidity  of  child  development. 
Prof.  Search  finds  that  the  progress  of  the  brightest  scholars  is  three 
and  a  half  times  as  rapid  as  that  of  the  duller  ones. 

The  co-ordination  of  the  Sunday  school  curriculum  with  the  other 
means  for  the  religious  education  of  the  child.  In  view  of  these  and 
other  neglected   factors,   certain  great   underlying  principles  emerge: 

Third.  The  Sunday  school  curriculum  cannot  scientifically  he  mod- 
eled closely  after  the  day  school  curriculum,  nor  draw  its  illustrations 
from  it,  except  so  far  as  literature  in  its  broadest  sense  is  concerned.  To 
grade  the  Sunday  school  closely  after  the  grammar  school  grades  is 
pedagogically  wrong;  while  the  broader  grades  of  primary,  grammar, 
high,  and  collegiate  may  be  right. 

Fourth.  The  basis  of  the  Sunday  school  curricidum  should  be  confined 
to  the  Bible  in  all  except  some  adult  classes.  A  large  proportion  of  the 
children  will  find  in  the  short  Sunday  school  half-hour  their  chief  or 
their  only  opportunity  of  becoming  acquainted  with  the  greatest,  richest, 
most  life-giving  literature  in  the  world,  which  will  open  doors  to  many 
of  the  best  things  in  life,  that  otherwise  would  be  shut  forever.  For 
other  things  necessary  to  the  religious  education,  other  agencies  must 
be  found;  while  at  the  same  time  it  must  be  remembered  that  true 
Bible  study  is  not  like  the  Nile,  which  flows  two  thousand  miles  through 
a  desert  without  a  tributary,  but  like  the  Amazon  it  drains  the  whole 
continent  of  literature,  history,  nature,  and  life,  for  light  and  "  point  of 
contact." 

Fifth.  The  Sunday  school  curricidum  must  be  very  flexible,  or  it  will 
contravene  the  trend  of  educational  science,  and  the  efforts  of  educational 
experts  in  modifying  the  systems  of  our  graded  schools. 

Sixth.  The  Sunday  school  curriculum  will  he  most  scientific,  embody 
in  the  fullest  degree  all  the  factors  involved,  and  accomplish  its  best  work, 
hy  means  of  three  or  at  most  jour  departments,  each  of  which  may  be  sub- 
divided into  as  many  grades  as  numbers  require  and  opportunity  permits. 

I.  Special  short  courses  for  the  primary,  up  to  about  eight  years  of 
age. 


192  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

II.  For  the  rest  of  the  school,  including  all  ages  (with  the  excep- 
tions noted  below)  Scripture  selections,  in  broad  sections,  from  story, 
biography,  history,  and  literature,  with  the  choicest  spiritual  master- 
pieces, in  the  general  order  of  the  Bible. 

III.  Provision  must  be  made  for  the  study  of  other  parts  of  the 
Bible,  church  history,  the  great  modern  crusades  of  missions,  and 
other  subjects,  by  means  of  electives  for  the  older  classes. 

The  reasons  are: 

1.  The  selections  for  the  main  period  include  the  larger  part  of  the 
Bible,  and  emphasize  those  parts  which  have  most  points  of  contact 
with  the  children's  daily  life  in  home  and  school. 

2.  They  furnish  the  most  flexible  of  all  curricula. 

3.  Belonging  to  literature  and  life,  they  are  best  adapted  to  the 
needs  of  all  ages,  to  the  apperception  of  the  younger,  and  to  the  intel- 
lectual and  spiritual  depths  of  the  older. 

4.  The  peculiarity  of  life  and  literature  is  that  each  scholar,  old  or 
young,  dull  or  bright,  gets  out  of  the  same  passage  exactly  as  much  as 
he  has  ability  to  receive,  and  the  brightest  loses  nothing,  whether  he 
develops  three  and  a  half  times  or  one  and  a  half  times  as  rapidly  as 
his  duller  brother. 

5.  If  the  movement  through  the  Bible  is  repeated  two  or  three  times 
in  the  course  of  the  school  life,  very  few  need  fail  to  gain  some  general 
knowledge  of  the  whole  Bible.  That  this  principle  sets  forth  the  true 
scientific  and  pedagogical  direction  of  progress  is  confirmed  by  the  cur- 
ricula prepared  for  the  junior  scholars  by  practical  experts  in  child- 
study;  by  the  trend  of  the  far-seeing  and  skillful  Dr.  Blakeslee  in  his 
later  curricula;  and  by  the  persistent  hold  on  the  people  and  the  pro- 
gressive movement  of  the  International  Lesson  System. 

Those  who  confound  the  present  International  System  as  a  synonym 
with  an  unmixed  "  Uniform  Lesson  "  system  for  even  the  youngest,  or 
as  giving  disconnected  lessons  without  continuity,  or  as  confining  the 
lessons  to  the  verses  selected  for  printing,  have  simply  failed  to  notice 
its  actual  working  in  the  past  or  its  present  development. 

It  is  hoped  and  believed  that  in  addition  to  what  has  already  been 
accomplished,  electives  for  special  advanced  classes,  for  years  in  actual 
use  as  a  part  of  the  system,  favored  by  two  successive  lesson  commit- 
tees, and  unanimously  by  the  Editorial  Association,  will  be  formally 
adopted  at  Toronto  next  June.  This  will  permit  a  somewhat  more 
perfect  selection  of  the  general  lessons  used  by  the  vast  majority  of  all 
Sunday  schools,  and  their  restriction  to  those  Scripture  portions  adapted 
to  all,  without  being  subjected  to  the  criticism  of  neglecting  any  portion 


THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL  CURRICULUM  193 

of  the  Bible,  and  thus,  while  rejoicing  in  and  indebted  to  the  many 
fruitful  experiments  of  others,  render  that  curriculum  in  its  present 
form  the  most  scientific  and  pedagogical  yet  proposed;  and  ahnost 
every  progressive  method  and  new  appliance  becomes  a  part  of  its 
working  scheme  as  naturally  as  peaches  grow  on  peach  trees. 

Seventh.  No  curriculum  of  any  kind  can  be  complete  without  special 
provision  for  general  reviews  and  for  supplemental  lessons,  including 
catechisms,  condensed  summaries  of  Bible  history  and  Bible  facts,  and 
memorizing  of  the  masterpieces  of  Biblical  literature. 

Nor  can  any  scheme  of  religious  education  for  the  young  be  complete 
without  training  and  study  outside  of  the  Sunday  school, —  at  home, 
in  pastor's  classes,  in  young  people's  societies  and  various  other  means, 
bringing  into  closest  contact  the  Sunday  school  with  the  home,  and 
the  day  school;  the  Bible  with  other  literature;  Sundays  with  week- 
days; spiritual  impressions  with  daily  life.  „:  i^-t^ 


REPORT    OF   THE   COMMITTEE    ON   WORSHIP   IN  THE 
SUNDAY  SCHOOL 

PROFESSOR  WALDO  S.  PRATT,  Mus.  D. 

HARTFORD  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY,  HARTFORD,  CONNECTICUT 

The  special  committee  appointed  to  report  on  the  subject  of  wor- 
ship in  the  Sunday-school  has  been  unable  to  hold  a  meeting,  but  a 
strenuous  effort  has  been  made  to  consult  by  correspondence,  and  the 
following  report  represents,  in  some  measure,  our  collective  thought. 

Two  main  lines  of  inquiry  present  themselves.  The  first  relates 
to  the  general  place  and  dignity  of  worship  exercises  taken  together. 
The  second  relates  to  the  details  of  such  exercises.  We  would  offer 
remarks  upon  both  of  these. 

First,  as  to  worship  exercises  in  general.  We  feel  the  need  of  plead- 
ing urgently  for  special  attention  to  this  element  in  Sunday  school 
services.  A  hasty,  heedless,  and  even  irreverent  treatment  of  it  is  far 
too  common.  The  very  name  "  Introductory  Exercises  "  is  apt  to  sug- 
gest a  perfunctory  attitu-de  of  mind  in  superintendents,  teachers,  and 
scholars,  and  in  many  schools  these  exercises  have  come  to  be  mechan- 
ical, tasteless,  spiritless,  and  therefore  positively  harmful.  Any  exer- 
cise of  social  devotion  that  is  so  handled  must  be  dangerous,  both  because 
of  its  immediate  reaction  on  all  participants  at  the  moment,  and  because 
it  creates  a  false  standard  for  similar  exercises  elsewhere.  It  may  be 
seriously  queried  whether  the  general  poverty  of  public  worship  in 
some  churches  is  not  due  in  large  measure  to  the  deteriorating  influence 
of  the  Sunday  school  in  the  past,  under  which  successive  generations 
of  children  have  been  unintentionally  misled  as  to  the  dignity,  reaHty, 
and  utility  of  social  prayer  and  praise..  Probably,  too,  these  careless 
habits  have  contributed  to  the  low  estimate  of  the  Sunday  school  itself 
in  many  cases  and  to  a  diffused  spirit  of  unreaHty  and  lifelessness  in 
the  whole  institution.  No  church  can  afford  to  allow  this  degenerating 
tendency  to  set  in,  since  in  the  long  run  it  is  destructive  both  of  the  best 
value  of  the  Sunday  school  and  even  of  the  health  of  the  Church  in 
general.  Happily,  there  is  an  increasing  number  of  pastors  and  super- 
intendents that  are  alive  to  the  danger,  and  the  instinct  of  all  earnest 
workers  can  always  be  trusted  to  respond  to  efforts  to  avoid  it. 

We  offer  these  suggestions.  Whatever  time  is  set  apart  in  the  Sun- 
day school  for  common  exercises  should  be  jealously  guarded  against 
abbreviation,  interruption,  or  distraction.     The  intrusion  of  extended 

194 


WORSHIP  IN  THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL  195 

notices  and  of  mechanical  operations  should  be  prevented.  Noise 
and  confusion  should  be  suppressed,  and  haste  and  triviality  should  be 
eliminated.  For  the  leadership  of  worship  exercises,  due  preparation 
should  be  made  beforehand.  The  signs  of  listlessness  and  unreadiness 
on  the  leader's  part  in  the  substance  of  his  prayers,  in  the  choice  of 
hymns,  in  the  handling  of  Scripture -reading,  are  sure  to  be  noted,  and 
they  either  annoy  or  entrap  the  whole  school.  On  the  other  hand, 
nothing  is  more  contagious  than  a  spirit  of  genuine  enthusiasm  and 
devoutness  on  the  leader's  part.  Real  study  should  be  expended  by 
him  upon  the  plan  and  execution  of  all  general  exercises,  so  that  they 
shall  not  be  monotonous  or  repetitious,  or  without  a  rememberable 
point  and  climax.  The  accent  may  fall  now  on  the  Bible-reading, 
now  on  the  prayer,  now  on  the  singing,  but  something  in  each  service 
should  be  emphatically  valuable,  so  that  it  may  leave  a  definite  im- 
pression alongside  of  the  further  impression  made  by  the  lesson  study. 
Success  must,  of  course,  come  through  the  dextrous  handling  of  many 
details. 

With  a  view  to  the  reclamation  of  general  exercises  from  misuse, 
we  further  raise  the  question  whether  in  some  schools  it  may  not  be 
wise,  at  least  sometimes,  to  invert  the  usual  plan  of  the  Sunday  school 
service,  beginning  the  lesson  study  almost  at  the  opening  of  the  session, 
and  then  closing  with  a  series  of  general  exercises  of  a  worshipful  sort. 
We  believe  that  in  many  cases  this  would  be  a  decided  gain  for  both 
parts  of  the  service.  This  might  be  managed  so  that  the  whole  should 
culminate,  as  it  ought,  in  a  spirit  of  prayer  and  praise,  and  send  the 
scholars  forth  with  the  warmth  of  devotion,  zeal,  and  enthusiasm  in 
their  hearts,  in  addition  to  the  impress  of  the  lesson  on  their  heads  and 
their  consciences.  The  kindling  of  feelings  and  sentiments  is  really 
the  finest  result  of  any  service,  and  a  strong  accent  on  common  and 
united  worship  as  the  crowning  experience  of  the  hour  would  have  a 
value  greater  than  any  other  that  can  be  named.  Yet,  it  is  needless  to 
say,  this  change  of  plan  should  not  be  attempted  in  any  school  where 
the  devotional  atmosphere  is  cold  or  stagnant,  and  surely  not  unless 
both  the  superintendent  and  the  teachers  are  ready  to  put  their  minds 
and  souls  into  making  the  last  section  of  the  service  a  true  climax. 

Second,  as  to  some  details.  The  exercises  commonly  used  are 
Bible-reading  (in  concert  or  responsively) ,  prayer  (often  including  the 
Lord's  prayer  in  concert),  and  more  or  less  singing.  Some  schools  add 
various  antiphonal  sentences  (at  the  opening  or  the  close),  recitations 
of  a  psalm,  the  beatitudes,  the  creed,  the  commandments,  etc.  We  re- 
mark briefly  on  several  of  these  in  turn. 


196  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

We  doubt  the  wisdom  of  the  common  reading  of  the  lesson  as  a 
general  exercise,  except  in  schools  where  the  average  intelligence  as  to 
the  text  is  low.  But  we  hold  that  there  is  great  use  in  reading  many  of 
the  Psalms  responsively,  if  they  are  chosen  with  some  relation  to  the 
lesson  topic,  and  we  wonder  why  more  schools  do  not  bring  into  such 
use  large  quantities  of  other  material  from  all  parts  of  the  Bible.  By 
judicious  selection,  the  range  of  Biblical  passages  in  common  knowledge 
might  be  vastly  broadened,  especially  where  the  lessons  themselves 
are  very  limited  in  extent. 

The  question  of  Sunday-school  singing  is  in  dispute.  Many  seem 
to  hold  that  the  great  aim  should  be  to  find  melodies  that  children 
will  sing  with  vocal  zest,  regardless  of  the  sense  or  the  inherent  value 
of  the  words  —  thus  making  the  singing  mainly  useful  as  a  physical 
diversion.  Others  seem  anxious  to  strike  as  many  different  keys  in 
the  singing  as  possible,  heaping  together  scraps  of  many  hymns  of  widely 
different  character  and  turning  restlessly  from  one  to  another.  Some 
superintendents  make  no  preparation  for  this  part  of  the  service,  and 
either  fall  back  helplessly  on  threadbare  "  favorites  "  or  indulge  in  ec- 
centric experiments  on  the  spur  of  the  moment.  It  is  to  be  feared  that 
a  majority  of  schools  choose  cheap  and  poor  hymn-books,  with  the 
notion  either  that  "  anything  will  do  for  children  "  or  that  children 
are  all  babies.  There  is  no  doubt,  too,  that  the  incompetence  of  play- 
ers and  leaders  is  often  an  unavoidable  hindrance  to  what  otherwise 
would  be  attempted.  We  feel  that  deliverance  from  many  difficulties 
and  from  much  poverty  of  spiritual  value  is  to  be  sought  in  a  more 
general,  hearty,  and  intelligent  emphasis  on  the  hymns  as  such.  They 
should  be  chosen  primarily  for  their  words,  should  not  be  cut  up  into 
too  small  morsels,  and  should  often  be  introduced  by  a  remark  or  two 
to  make  them  more  worth  while.  We  wonder  that  the  memorizing  of 
fine  hymns  is  so  uncommon,  both  in  classes  and  for  common  recitation. 
We  believe  that  the  thoughtful  and  thorough  use  of  even  two  hymns  in 
a  service  is  worth  infinitely  more  than  the  heedless  ejaculation  of 
fragments  of  many  without  earnest  feeling.  We  wonder,  too,  that  so 
few  experiments  are  tried  with  Sunday  school  chanting.  We  are  not 
so  much  impressed  with  the  importance  of  multiplying  instruments  or 
magnifying  a  "  choir,"  except  so  far  as  these  supply  needed  tonal  assist- 
ance. The  great  desideratum  is  not  volume  of  sound  or  sensuous 
exhilaration,  but  the  appeal  to  the  imagination  and  the  heart  from  the 
beauty  and  the  passion  of  those  hymns  that  are  really  worthy  of  the 
name.  It  has  been  demonstrated  again  and  again  that  children  are 
susceptible  to  these  potencies,  and  they  should  not  be  defrauded  of 


WORSHIP  IN  THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL  197 

what  may  be  of  the  highest  spiritual  use  to  them  at  once  and  in  future 
life. 

Sunday  school  prayers  should  certainly  not  be  prolix  or  stilted. 
But  they  ought  to  be  real,  fervent,  tasteful,  and  broad  in  sympathy. 
Instead  of  trying  to  cover  all  desirable  topics  or  to  voice  all  the  moods 
of  adoration,  thanksgiving,  confession,  and  supplication  at  any  one  time,, 
an  effort  should  be  made  to  strike  different  notes  at  different  times, 
so  as  to  keep  the  whole  gamut  of  thought  and  sentiment  in  mind.  We 
believe  that  there  is  utiUty  in  increasing  the  number  of  memorized 
prayers  that  can  be  used  by  all  in  concert,  and  also  that  the  custom 
of  having  a  moment  of  silent  prayer  preceding  that  which  is  spoken  is 
most  desirable.  Great  care  should  be  taken  to  stimulate  the  habit  on 
the  scholars'  part  of  making  the  prayer  their  own,  not  something  said 
to  them.  The  co-operation  of  the  teachers  in  dignifying  this  exercise 
and  making  it  personal  to  the  scholars  is  indispensable. 

The  order  in  which  worship  exercises  are  arranged  is  often  of  great 
importance.  We  doubt  the  wisdom  of  accenting  song  as  the  opening 
item.  Song,  like  prayer,  grows  out  of  sentiments  awakened  otherwise. 
Opening  sentences  of  some  sort  seem  to  be  the  ideal,  followed  by  a  hymn, 
then  by  the  Bible-reading,  then  by  the  prayer,  then  by  another  hymn. 
If  the  lesson  study  could  be  advanced  to  an  earlier  point,  it  would  be 
enough  to  have  the  sentences  and  a  hymn  before  the  lesson,  and  all 
other  exercises  after.  It  is  evident,  however,  that  no  one  order  is  ne- 
cessary, and  there  may  be  reason  for  variety  from  time  to  time. 

Respectfully  submitted. 

Waldo  S.  Pratt,  Chairman. 

Prof.  Charles  M.  Stuart,  D.  D.,  Garrett  Biblical  Institute. 

Rev.  George  F.  Nason,  New  Rochelle,  N.  Y. 

Mrs.  a.  G.  Lester,  Chicago,  111. 

Mrs.  J.  Woodbridge  Barnes,  Newark,  N.  J. 


Discussion 


REV.  GEORGE  F.  NASON 

PASTOR   NORTH   AVENUE  PRESBYTERIAN  CHXJRCH,   NEW  ROCHELLE,    NEW  YORK 

There  is  a  tendency  to  count  too  much  on  the  positively  religious 
influence  of  the  home,  and  also  to  presume  too  largely  upon  the  idea 
that  the  child  will  come  into  the  life  of  the  church  and  will  there  ob- 
tain the  worshipful  spirit  wanting  in  the  life  of  the  school.  Relatively, 
an  alarming  proportion  of  the  pupils  are  not  attendants  upon  the  ser- 
vice of  the  church  while  they  are  in  the  school,  nor  do  they  afterwards 
come  into  the  life  of  the  church.     After  a  more  or  less  brief  stay  in 


ipS  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

the  school  they  are  lost  to  religious  influence.  This  means  that  the 
sole  religious  impression  of  many  lives  must  be  made  by  the  Sunday 
school,  if  ever  made.  In  considering  the  place  of  the  Sunday  school 
in  religious  education  and  the  place  of  M^orship  in  the  school,  we  cannot 
ignore  this  large  number  to  whom  the  school  is  to  be  the  sole  repre- 
sentative and  source  of  religious  instruction,  influence,  and  experience. 

The  report  says:  "  The  primary  object  of  the  Sunday  school 
is  felt  to  be  the  lesson  study."  We  must  not  regard  the  mere  increase 
of  religious  facts  or  truths  as  the  supreme  purpose.  The  facts  of 
Bible  history,  biography,  and  geography  may  be  forgotten,  but  the 
acceptance  of  Jesus  Christ  as  the  Saviour  and  Friend  is  a  permanent 
element  in  life's  experience,  and  to  have  missed  this  is  to  have  missed 
the  purpose  of  God  in  human  life. 

The  present  awakening  will  bring  better  teaching  of  the  Bible. 
Will  it  also  bring  a  deepening  of  the  religious  experience  of  the  pupil  ? 
The  improvement  of  the  lesson  study  in  a  measure  depends  upon  the 
worship  of  the  school.  The  character  of  the  devotional  exercises 
largely  determines  the  religious  atmosphere  of  the  school  and  also  the 
results  of  lesson  study.  They  either  prepare  the  child  for  lesson  study, 
or  in  a  large  measure  destroy  the  opportunity  for  religious  impression 
of  the  truth  taught  in  the  class.  The  worship  after  the  lesson  study 
either  dissipates  the  impressions  of  the  truth  or  gathers  them  into  a 
personal  consecration  of  the  life  to  God's  service.  Worship  focalizes 
the  teaching  of  the  Word  upon  the  personal  attitude  to  Christ.  It 
brings  to  knowledge  and  sentiment  the  eternal  NOW  of  God.  It  is 
not  sufficient  that  an  annual  attempt  should  be  made  at  decision  day 
for  the  deep  religious  impression.  Every  service  should  seek  to  make 
an  abiding  impression  upon  the  religious  life  and  add  to  the  religious 
experience.  The  worship  of  the  Sunday  School  should  lead  per- 
ceptibly and  intelligently  to  the  consciousness  of  the  presence  of 
God  and  to  fellowship  with  him. 

The  pastor  does  not  generally  occupy  that  place  of  importance  in 
the  Sunday  school  which  is  his  by  right  of  position  and  ability.  In 
many  schools  he  has  little  or  no  opportunity  to  spiritually  influence 
the  pupils.  He  comes  into  contact  with  many  young  people  only  as 
pupils  in  the  school.  They  do  not  attend  the  church  service  and  the 
Sunday  school  is  the  only  place  where  he  can  see  and  influence  them. 
The  modern  pastor  is  trained  to  know  the  possibilities  of  Sunday  school 
work  and  the  methods  of  obtaining  the  desired  impression  upon  the 
child  mind.  The  largest  place  of  influence,  reaching  as  it  does  the 
entire  school,  is  in  this  devotional  service. 


WORSHIP  IN  THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL  199 

The  reading  of  the  Scriptures  in  the  average  Sunday  school  is  not 
surcharged  with  vital  life.  Much  of  it  is  not  adapted  to  the  minds 
of  the  pupils.  I  have  failed  to  find  a  consciousness  of  any  impression 
for  good  made  by  the  reading  of  the  Bible  in  the  Sunday  school.  The 
average  lesson  has  no  point  of  contact  with  the  child  mind.  Choice 
passages  memorized  and  repeated  as  a  part  of  the  service  have  been 
consciously  valuable.  A  short  portion  with  judicious  comment  has 
also  been  helpful. 

All  attempts  to  prepare  liturgical  enrichment  for  Sunday  school 
use  must  be  marked  by  a  combination  of  simplicity  which  will  appeal 
to  the  understanding  of  the  child  and  that  dignity  whicli  the  subject 
demands.  This  cannot  be  created,  but  must  be  taken  again  from 
the  rich  store  of  past  ages. 

In  the  prayers  of  the  school  the  problem  is  to  lead  the  children  in 
prayer  into  petitions  and  things  in  which  they  are  and  should  be  in- 
terested and  to  furnish  with  prayer  thoughts  and  vocabulary.  This 
demands  more  thought  and  preparation  than  can  be  given  by  the 
leader.  Here,  again,  the  demand  is  for  the  rich  prayers  of  confession, 
petition,  and  thanksgiving  which  are  the  common  heritage  of  all  Christ- 
endom. The  more  needful  is  this  thoughtful  leadership  for  the  fact 
that  so  many  have  no  other  opportunity  to  learn  to  pray. 

We  can  see  in  the  awakening  of  the  church,  in  the  increased  interest 
of  both  pastors  and  superintendents,  and  in  the  widespread  recogni- 
tion of  weakness  in  our  present  methods  every  cause  for  optimism. 
Men  engaged  in  propaganda  must  be  optimistic,  and  are.  The  con- 
ditions which  are  deplorable  cannot  stand  before  an  enlightened  leader- 
ship, and  the  organization  of  the  religious  forces  is  becoming  more 
effective  in  providing  this  leadership.  May  God  hasten  the  day  when 
His  worship  in  our  schools  may  be  truly  inspirational  and  full  of  in- 
telligent reverence  and  love. 


MISS  LUCY  WHEELOCK 

PRINCIPAL   TRAINING   SCHOOL   FOR    KINDERGARTEN   TEACHERS, 
BOSTON,  MASSACHUSETTS 

Worship  is  an  outward  form  of  an  inward  state.  It  is  like  the  flow- 
ering of  a  delicate,  and  not  altogether  common  plant  called  reverence, 
whose  roots  strike  deep  into  the  soil  of  childhood.  Its  germ  is  found 
in  that  first  faint  sense  sublime  of  a  presence  whose  dwelling  is  the 
light  of  setting  suns,  and  the  round  ocean,  and  the  living  air,  and  the 
blue  sky,  and  the  mind  of  man. 

It  is  a  tender  plant,  needing  careful  nurture  and  an  atmosphere 


200  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

of  religious  feeling.  It  cannot  be  forced  by  precept  nor  by  formal 
instruction.  It  thrives  best  in  a  home  where  a  mother's  daily  reverent 
look  and  habitude  teach  her  ovm  simple  version  of  the  Christian  faith, 
and  where  a  father's  religion  is  not  a  parade  duty  performed  on  Sun- 
day. It  does  not  grow  apace  in  a  climate  where  doubt  and  suspicion 
of  the  good  in  others  exists,  and  the  faihngs  of  the  preacher  in  the  pulpit, 
and  the  teacher  at  the  desk  are  freely  discussed,  nor  in  a  country  where 
there  is  no  respect  of  age  or  condition;  where  children  do  not  rise  up 
before  the  hoary  head  as  a  crown  of  honor ;  where  the  chief  magistrate  of 
the  land  is  familiarly  spoken  of  as  "Teddy." 

The  Sunday  school  has  a  difficult  problem  before  it  in  attempting 
to  foster  the  spirit  of  worship  where  it  must  supply  the  deficiencies  of 
the  home  training  and  of  community  ideals.  It  can  only  furnish  a 
favorable  climate  during  the  hour  of  the  session,  and  hope  for  some 
abiding  results.  The  atmosphere  of  the  room  and  hour  is  more  po- 
tent than  any  teaching  in  fostering  the  feeling  of  worship.  Disorder, 
confusion,  and  hurry,  and  often,  I  fear,  the  pictorial  and  musical  ac- 
companiments of  the  Sunday  school  lesson,  are  fatal  to  the  inner  col- 
lectedness  which  expresses  itself  in  adequate  forms  of  worship. 

If  the  service  of  song  and  praise  and  prayer  is  to  be  a  genuine  thing,  it 
must  voice,  simply  and  reverently,  the  feelings  and  ideas  which  are 
possible  to  boys  and  girls,  and  must  be  guided  by  one  who  feels  the 
meaning  of  it  all. 

The  simple  faith  of  childhood  in  a  God  who  is  the  giver  of  all  good, 
ready  to  hear  the  cries  of  those  who  call  unto  Him,  should  be  regarded 
as  the  most  precious  possession.  It  is  sometimes  lost  through  the  doubt 
which  creeps  in  when  prayers  for  temporal  good  are  encouraged. 
The  Great  Teacher  taught  his  class  how  to  pray  in  a  form  of  prayer 
which  expresses  universal,  and  not  particular,  needs.  The  great 
forms  of  petition  which  voice  the  highest  needs  of  the  human  soul, 
awaken  aspiration,  and  give  a  vision  of  the  fountain  of  life  are  those 
which  may  be  appropriated  by  the  devout  soul  anywhere,  and  the 
normal  boy  or  girl  responds  to  the  fine  expression  of  that  hunger  and 
thirst  after  righteousness  which  is  a  real  desire  of  the  soul. 

I  should  like  to  teach  boys  and  girls  of  to-day  to  pray  the  prayer 
of  Socrates  of  old:  "Grant  me  to  be  beautiful  in  the  inner  man,  and 
all  I  have  of  outer  things  to  be  at  peace  with  those  within.  May  I 
count  the  wise  man  only  rich,  and  my  store  of  gold  be  such  as  none 
but  the  good  can  bear.  Need  we  anything  more  ?  For  myself,  I  have 
prayed  enough." 

With  the  true  prayer  belongs,  as  body  to  spirit,  the  outer  posture 


WORSHIP  IN  THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL  201 

and  attitude  of  prayer.  The  folded  hand  and  the  head  bowed  before 
the  Highest  in  Heaven  react  upon  the  consciousness  and  stir  the  ap- 
propriate feelings.  The  Guides  to  Goethe's  Pedagogic  Province  be- 
lieve that  reverence  is  a  most  difficult  and-  necessary  thing  for  man 
to  attain,  and  insist,  among  the  boys  of  the  Province,  upon  the  atti- 
tude which  expresses  the  threefold  veneration  for  what  is  above  us, 
for  what  is  beneath  us,  and  what  is  around  us.  The  venerable  guides 
to  this  Pedagogical  Province  explain  that  through  assuming  the  atti- 
tude of  respect  and  reverence  the  feeling  becomes  permanent.  The 
highest  punishment  is  to  be  declared  unworthy  to  show  reverence,  to 
exhibit  themselves  as  rude  and  uncultivated  natures. 

The  reality  of  the  feeling  in  the  Sunday  school  service  is  the  chief 
thing,  but  it  can  never  flourish  apart  from  the  appropriate  form. 

Another  great  factor  in  stirring  the  feehng  of  reverence  is  song.  It 
is  the  language  of  spirituality,  the  speech  of  the  heart.  It  makes  the 
most  direct  appeal  to  feeling.  The  tired  soldier  quickens  his  step  to 
the  sound  of  the  Marseillaise.  The  very  gates  of  Heaven  seem  to 
open  through  the  singing  of  "Jerusalem  the  Golden."  The  restless 
child  is  soothed  by  the  lullaby,  and  drops  to  sleep  with  glimpses  of 
holy  angels  guarding  his  bed.  But  there  are  songs  and  songs.  Songs 
of  peace  and  songs  of  war,  songs  of  triumph  and  victory,  exciting 
and  turbulent  songs,  gentle  hymns  of  love  and  trust,  and  the  old,  ma- 
jestic hymns  of  the  faith.  The  Sunday  school  may  wisely  limit  itself 
to  those  songs  and  hymns  which  most  directly  arouse  the  spirit  of 
worship  through  melody,  rhythm,  and  word  content.  Intelligible  to 
the  understanding  the  ideas  must  be,  and  the  melody  appropriate  to 
the  thought. 

The  great  hymns  of  the  Church  are  the  blessed  heritage  of  our 
Sunday  schools.  Does  not  the  vision  of  the  "noble  army  of  men  and 
and  boys"  who  "trod  the  steep  ascent  to  heaven,  'mid  peril,  toil,  and 
pain"  awaken  always  the  desire  to  "follow  in  their  train  ?  "  The  song, 
the  service  of  prayer,  with  the  devout  attitude  and  quiet  tone,  create 
the  atmosphere  in  which  seeds  of  reverence  may  grow.  So  does  the 
divinest  in  man  spring  up  into  eternal  life. 


POPULAR  BIBLE-STUDY  BY  COMMUNITIES 

CHARLES  A.  BRAND 

MANAGING  EDITOR  OF  THE  PILGRIM  PRESS 

Community  Bible-study  is  Bible-study  carried  on  by  the  people  of 
the  community  outside  of  the  Sunday  school,  and  without  regard  to 
church  membership,  or  anything  else  but  a  desire  to  study  the  Bible. 
It  is  undenominational — a  popular  union  movement.  Hundreds  of 
letters  from  almost  every  state  in  the  Union,  and  from  Canada,  show 
that  the  country  is  full  of  this  week-day,  popular  Bible-study  by  com- 
munities, by  villages,  neighborhoods,  groups  of  people  interested  in 
the  Bible  for  a  hundred  different  reasons,  and  including  the  adherents 
of  all  denominations,  and  of  no  denomination,  those  who  have  been 
out-and-out  disbelievers  in  Christianity  as  they  have  seen  it,  and,  in 
some  cases,  Roman  Catholics  and  Jews. 

It  should  be  said  that  there  are  no  full  statistics.  The  most  inter- 
esting are  the  individual  classes,  having  no  connection  with  any  other 
organization,  and  so  not  reported  anywhere.  While  this  report  is 
based  on  a  wide  investigation,  it  is  certain  that  not  half  of  the  small, 
individual  community  classes  have  been  discovered. 

A  word  must  be  said  about  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Associa- 
tions, which  lead  in  promoting  this  work.  The  associations  report 
38,000  men  and  boys  studying  the  Bible  in  their  classes  this  winter — 
real  study,  too.  Sixty  of  the  associations  have  taken  up  the  training 
of  teachers  for  their  various  Bible  classes.  In  Buffalo,  for  instance, 
there  is  a  class  the  membership  of  which  is  limited  to  those  who  will 
lead  classes  of  three  or  more  men  outside  of  the  building.  It  has 
sixty  members,  of  many  denominations,  who  are  teaching  sixty  out- 
side classes.  In  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  shop  classes  in  Cleveland  there  are 
2,500  different  men  attending  noon  and  midnight  shop  Bible  classes. 
There  are  also  classes  in  street-car  barns  at  all  hours  to  accommodate 
the  men.  One  is  at  4:30  in  the  morning.  Other  associations  have 
classes  in  roundhouses,  flagmen's  shanties,  in  the  army  and  navy,  in 
fire-engine  houses,  police  headquarters,  and  underground  in  mines — 
38,000  men  of  them  studying  the  Bible.  In  the  college  associations 
there  are  24,000  more  in  weekly  Bible  classes,  making  62,000  in  all. 
In  Ohio  one-fourth  of  the  men  in  forty-one  colleges  and  professional 
schools  are  enrolled  in  Y.  M.  C.  A.  Bible  classes. 

Look  next  at  University  Extension  work  in  Bible-study.     There 

202 


POPULAR  BIBLE-STUDY  BY  COMMUNITIES  203 

are  two  conspicuous  examples  of  what  an  institution  can  do  for  its 
own  community,  and  by  correspondence  for  a  constituency  much 
larger,  in  the  work  of  Union  Theological  Seminary  and  in  that  of  the 
University  of  Chicago.  At  twenty  different  centers  in  and  around 
New  York,  Dr.  Richard  Morse  Hodge,  director  of  the  extension  work, 
President  Charles  Cuthbert  Hall,  and  other  members  of  the  faculty 
of  Union  Seminary,  are  conducting  community  classes  in  Bible-study 
and  religious  education,  and  are  directly  reaching  four  hundred  per- 
sons. This  year  they  have  introduced  a  course  on  "Religious  Edu- 
cation in  the  Home,"  and  a  Sunday  afternoon  class  for  children  on 
Old  Testament  History.  This  same  thing  is  being  done  by  other 
seminaries  and  colleges  to  a  greater  or  less  extent,  and  invariably  re- 
sults in  comniimity  Bible -study.  The  American  Institute  of  Sacred 
Literature,  under  the  direction  of  President  Harper  of  the  Univer- 
sity of  Chicago,  offers  forty-seven  Biblical  correspondence  courses. 
These  courses  are  inductive,  and  assume  the  soundness  of  the  histor- 
ical method.  There  are  six  hundred  local  clubs  at  work  on  them  to- 
day in  all  parts  of  the  country.  They  are  made  up  of  members  of  all 
denominations.  It  is  community  Bible-study.  But  to  speak  of  the 
clubs  alone  is  to  leave  half  the  story  untold,  for  a  large  part  of 
the  work  is  done  with  individuals.  A  letter  received  from  the  secre- 
tary, within  a  week,  states  that  about  10,000  persons  are  connected 
with  the  institute  at  the  present  time.  This  is  a  vast  force  in  the  religious 
education  of  America. 

Many  other  kinds  of  extension  work  are  being  done.  President 
Booker  T.  Washington  writes  that  two  nights  each  week  the  farmers 
and  local  preachers,  from  miles  around,  gather  at  Tuskegee  to  study 
the  Bible,  under  the  direction  of  Tuskegee  Institute.  And  then,  in 
connection  with  this,  that  the  study  may  be  taken  back  to  the  peo- 
ple in  the  region  in  its  strength  and  purity,  sermons  are  preached  by 
the  local  ministers  and  criticised. 

The  dining-room  Bible-class  work  of  the  Bible  Teachers'  Train- 
ing School  in  New  York  is  based  on  the  principle  that  if  the  people 
won't  come  to  us,  we  must  go  to  them  with  the  Bible.  Take  the  pro- 
gramme for  Monday  evening,  any  Monday  evening,  and  you  will 
have  the  plan  in  a  nutshell.  The  evening  begins  in  the  parlors  of 
the  Calvary  Baptist  Church  (chosen  because  of  its  location).  A  great 
class,  most  of  them  students,  gather.  An  early  supper  is  served,  after 
which  Dr.  Wilbert  W.  White  teaches  the  Bible  lesson  for  the  day.  At 
half-past  seven  the  class  breaks  up  and  scatters  in  all  directions.  With- 
in half  an  hour  forty  Bible  classes,  gathered  about  forty  different  din- 


204  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

ing-room  tables,  are  at  work  upon  that  same  lesson.  The  classes  often 
start  with  two  or  three  members  of  one  family,  then  the  family  that 
lives  across  the  hall,  or  on  the  floor  above  or  below;  other  neighbors 
come  in,  till  the  classes  sometimes  number- twenty-five  or  thirty. 

As  to  the  summer  institutes  and  assemblies,  there  are  about  one 
hundred  and  twenty-five  that  make  Bible-study  a  part  of  their  regu- 
lar work,  but  many  of  them  are  not  strictly  undenominational,  and 
may  not  be  considered. 

Another  unusual  form  of  community  Bible-study  is  that  being  done 
by  hundreds  of  the  Woman's  Clubs  of  the  country.  It  is  very  popu- 
lar, and  is  being  rapidly  extended,  though  accurate  statistics  are  not 
available. 

The  facts,  already  given,  have  revealed  an  unusual  and  rapidly  in- 
creasing interest  in  the  study  of  the  Bible,  some  of  it  devotional  and 
evangelistic,  more  of  it  inductive  and  scholarly,  but  all  of  it  bearing 
fruit  in  life  and  character.  The  most  extraordinary  and  interesting 
facts,  however,  are  those  connected  with  individual  classes  and  de- 
tached community  movements  that  have  sprung  up  in  almost  every 
state  in  the  Union.  These  cases  cannot  be  spoken  of  in  detail,  for 
they  are  numbered  by  the  hundred.  But  while  they  vary  in  size,  they 
show  many  common  characteristics.  Let  me  name  a  few  of  the  larger 
ones. 

There  is  a  great  union  class  of  five  hundred  in  Dallas,  Texas.  In 
Providence  there  are  two  important  groups ,  one  a  union  of  the  churches 
of  the  city,  in  what  were  called  "Gospel  of  John  Conferences."  These 
were  addressed  by  various  pastors  and  seminary  professors,  in  order 
"To  concentrate  the  thought  of  the  church  on  the  most  spiritual  of 
the  gospels,  and  to  bring  churches  and  seminaries  closer  together." 
The  other  is  the  Providence  Bibhcal  Institute,  with  two  hundred  mem- 
bers. With  this,  the  Rhode  Island  Woman's  Club  has  come  into 
affiliated  relationship,  having  as  its  object  to  increase  interest  in 
the  study  of  the  Bible,  particularly  in  its  literary  and  historical 
aspects. 

The  Bible  Lectures  Committee  of  the  Twentieth  Century  Club  is 
doing  similar  work  for  Greater  Boston.  The  high-water  mark  this 
year  was  reached  in  the  course  of  morning  lectures  by  Professor 
Richard  G.  Moulton, which  repeatedly  packed  the  Colonial  Theatre. 
The  Club's  popular  classes  have  about  three  hundred  members. 

The  returns  show  a  great  increase  in  the  number  of  communities 
with  union  Bible  classes  for  Sunday  school  teachers.  To  the  Inter- 
national Sunday  School  Association  is  largely  due  the  credit  for  this 


POPULAR  BIBLE-STUDY  BY  COMMUNITIES  205 

work.  I  venture  to  say  that  it  is  doing  more  to  promote  broad,  un- 
denominational co-operation  in  religious  education  to-day  than  any 
other  religious  organization.  We  do  not  often  think  of  that  side  of 
its  work,  but  we  must  not  let  its  uniform  lesson  idea  blind  us  to  the 
real  greatness  of  its  work. 

Then  last,  but  by  no  means  least  in  significance,  are  the  great 
numbers  of  smaller  community  classes  that  have  sprung  up  without 
connection  with  any  outside  movement,  sometimes  originating  with  a 
pastor,  who  is  an  enthusiastic  Bible  student,  sometimes  with  the  super- 
intendent of  public  schools,  with  the  men's  class  in  one  of  the  Sunday 
schools,  with  the  teachers'  meeting,  with  a  college  boy  at  home  for 
vacation,  and  in  countless  other  ways. 

The  reports  show  that  nine  tenths  of  these  community  classes  are 
enthusiastically  studying  the  Bible  as  literature  and  the  results  of  his- 
torical Bible-study.  The  membership  is  remarkable,  enlisting  the 
strongest  and  best  people  in  the  communities,  large  numbers  of  pub- 
lic school  teachers,  large  numbers  of  business  men,  and  society  and 
club  women. 

Now,  what  does  it  all  mean  ?  What  explains  it  ?  Why  this  inter- 
est in  Bible- study  on  the  part  of  hundreds  and  thousands  of  people 
who  have  fought  shy  of  it  before?  Let  me  suggest  but  a  few  of  the 
many  things  that  combine  to  explain  the  condition: 

(i)  First  may  be  named  the  emphasis  that  has  been  laid  for  the 
last  ten  years  on  the  fact  that,  whatever  else  it  may  be,  the  Bible  is 
a  great  literature. 

(2)  A  desire  to  know  the  results  of  the  literary  and  historical  study 
of  the  Bible.  People  have  had  their  eyes  open.  They  have  discovered 
that  higher  criticism  is  not  an  emanation  from  the  pit,  as  they  were 
once  led  to  believe;  that  it  is  never  sneered  at  by  the  most  intelligent 
ministers,  and  is  taught  in  almost  every  seminary  of  any  standing  in 
this  country.  Curiosity?  Perhaps,  but  interest  is  a  better  word,  and, 
whatever  it  is,  it  is  leading  people  to  forget  their  differences  and  their 
prejudices,  and  study  the  Bible  as  it  is. 

(3)  Another  thing  that  helps  explain  the  change  is,  that  to  under- 
take a  course  of  Bible  study  now  does  not  mean  what  it  once  did.  It 
used  to  be  a  pious  act,  and  involved  a  certain  set  of  beliefs  about  the 
Bible,  a  certain  humbling  of  one's  intellectual  self  before  it.  That, 
many  people  could  not  honestly  do.  It  was  a  confession  of  faith; 
now  it  is  a  confession  of  a  desire  to  know.  The  confession  of  faith 
comes  after  the  study  now,  not  before.  This  is  the  true  order.  And 
so,  many  of  the  more  intellectually  self-respecting  people  in  these  com- 


2o6  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

munities — not  church  members — are  uniting  with   church  people  and 
others  in  a  genuine  inductive  study  of  the  Bible. 

(4)  The  faith  we  are  showing  in  our  own  great  Book  makes  a  tre- 
mendous appeal,  especially  to  young  men  and  women.  We  ask  no  fa- 
vors for  it.  We  urge  the  fullest  and  freest  investigation  of  it.  What 
people  find  to  be  true,  that  they  are  to  beHeve.  The  Christian  scholar's 
profound  faith  in  the  Bible,  then,  is  proving  contagious. 

(5)  It  is  being  studied  in  a  thorough  and  scholarly  manner.  Most 
of  the  study  is  not  called  devotional,  but,  for  all  that,  hfe  and  light 
and  salvation  are  in  the  Book,  and  the  people  know  it.  They  know, 
somehow,  that  in  the  Bible  there  is  a  revelation  from  God  for  them, 
and  they  are  hungry  for  it.  Many  of  the  people  whom  we  are  so 
surprised  to  see  in  these  community  Bible  classes  have  for  a  long 
time  come  "to  Jesus  by  night,"  at  least  in  their  hearts.  They  are 
simply  coming  to  him  in  the  daytime  now. 


BIBLIOGRAPHY  OF  BOOKS  AND  LESSONS  FOR  THE 
SUNDAY  SCHOOL 

REPORT   OF  THE    COMMITTEE 
REV.  GEORGE  W.  MEAD,  Ph.D. 

PASTOR  FIRST  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH,  NEWPORT,  RHODE  ISLAND 

The  instructions  issued  by  the  Sunday  school  section  of  the  Religious 
Education  Association  to  the  committee  for  which  we  now  report  were : 

"  To  prepare  a  descriptive  bibliography  of  the  various  lessons 
and  books  bearing  upon  Sunday  school  methods,  without  commendation 
or  indorsement." 

We  respectfully  report  that  such  publications  may  be  classified  as 
follows:  I.  Liternational  Lesson  Helps,  by  denominational  pub- 
lishing societies  and  by  independent  pubHshers.  2.  Denomina- 
tional Graded  Lessons.  3.  Manuals  and  Text-books  for  Graded 
Lessons,  by  committees  and  associations.  4.  Books  containing 
Suggested  Courses  of  Study  for  Graded  Bible  Schools.  5.  Book 
with  Lessons  suited  to  the  Individual  Departments  of  the  Graded 
Bible  School.  6.  Graded  Courses,  by  private  and  independent  pub- 
lishers. 7.  Books  on  Methods  of  Sunday  School  Work,  Pedagogy, 
and  Psychology.     8.  Miscellaneous  Sunday  School  Papers. 

I.  The  detailed  features  of  the  International  Lesson  Helps  are 
tabulated  in  the  addendum  of  this  report.  The  arrangement  of  ma- 
terial in  these  Helps  is,  for  the  most  part,  in  "  traditional  "  form. 
But  there  are  notable  exceptions  in  leaflets  and  quarterlies  for  vary- 
ing grades,  which  are  often  provided  material  in  addition  to  the  Inter- 
national Lessons,  and  with  Lesson  Helps,  which  show  a  thorough  ap- 
preciation of  the  principles  and  value  of  modern  pedagogy.  But 
such  editorial  attitude  cannot  be  said  to  apply  to  any  one  of  the  pub- 
lications as  a  whole,  while  with  some  it  is  entirely  wanting.  In  others, 
the  improved  methods  are  in  name  only,  which  emphasizes  the  care  re- 
quired in  the  selection  of  a  lesson  system.  One  series  on  the  Interna- 
tional has  a  department  miscalled  the  "  Graded  System,"  which  is 
nothing  more  than  a  church  catechism;  and  the  whole  series  of  lessons 
gives  no  indication  of  an  appreciation  of  the  new  thought  and  method. 
On  the  other  hand,  the  almost  universal  emphasis  on  teacher-training, 
the  adaptation  of  lessons  to  certain  grades,  and  the  various  provisions 
of  graded  Supplemental  Lessons  indicates  a  cordial  if  conservative 
attitude  toward  the  demand  for  a  better  pedagogy. 

207 


2o8  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

II.  Passing  now  to  the  graded  courses  of  study  offered  by  de- 
nominational publishing  societies  we  have  the  following: 

1.  The  General  Council  (Lutheran)  Pubhcation  Society,  Phila- 
delphia. The  lessons  consist  of  Bible  stories,  pictures,  history,  geog- 
raphy, biography  and  hterature.  This  series  represents  perhaps 
the  first  thoroughgoing  attempt  to  produce  Sunday  school  text-books 
comparable  to  those  used  in  the  pubUc  schools. 

2.  The  American  Baptist  Publication  Society,  Philadelphia  and 
Chicago,  has  a  series  called  "  Two  Years  with  Jesus  "  for  primary 
classes. 

The  Intermediate  Quarterly,  the  Advance  Quarterly,  the  Home 
Department  Quarterly,  all  contain  material  other  than  that  dealing 
with  the  International  Lessons.  In  the  Home  Department  Quarterly 
and  in  the  Senior  Quarterly  what  are  called  "  General  Lessons  "  are 
given  prominent  place.  These  lessons  are  arranged  in  series;  for 
example,  the  tenth  series  is  called  "  The  Old  Covenant  and  the  New," 
and  contains  four  lessons:  i.  The  Old  Testament  and  the  New;  2. 
Unity  of  the  Bible  as  a  whole;  3.  National  Divisions  of  the  Bible;  4. 
The  New  Testament. 

The  Baptist  Teacher  contains  Teacher  Training  Departments  and 
a  Department  of  Oriental  Lessons,  and  deals  with  Beginners'  Course 
and  General  Lessons.  It  contains,  also,  a  department  called  "  From 
Missionary  Fields." 

3.  The  Sunday  School  Commission  of  the  Diocese  of  New  York 
has  a  series  of  paper-bound  text-books  on  the  basis  of  the  latest  knowl- 
edge in  the  psychology  and  pedagogy  of  religion. 

The  features  of  the  series  are:  Lists  of  books  of  reference;  lists 
of  pictures  and  other  aids;  suggested  illustrations  for  each  lesson; 
lists  of  maps,  charts,  chronological  tables,  poetic  gems,  and  so  forth. 
The  lesson  material  is  arranged  according  to  what  is  called  the  Source 
Method;  that  is,  the  question  followed  by  the  Scripture  reference  and 
a  blank  space  for  the  answer,  thus  directing  the  pupil  to  the  Bible 
for  the  knowledge  necessary  to  answer  the  question.  Useful  Me- 
moriter  Passages,  consisting  of  hymns,  psalms,  collects,  and  Scripture 
selections,  are  included  in  the  system. 

4.  The  Congregational  Sunday  School  and  Publishing  Society 
(Boston  and  Chicago),  in  "  The  Beginners'  Lessons,"  take  up  the 
international  uniform  beginners'  course.  All  the  other  quarterlies, 
with  the  exception  of  the  abridged  edition  of  the  Junior  Quarterly, 
contain  subject-matter  in  addition  to  the  lesson  material  of  the  Inter- 
national series. 


BOOKS  AND  LESSONS  FOR  THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL       209 

5.  The  publications  of  the  Unitarian  Sunday  School  Society 
(Boston)  are  manuals  on  O.  T.  Narratives,  Story,  Great  Thoughts  of 
Israel,  the  Life  and  Teachings  of  Jesus,  Beginning  of  Christianity, 
Beacon  Lights  of  Christianity,  and  Great  Passages  in  the  Bible. 

The  One-Topic-Three- Grade  Course  is  what  might  be  called  a 
quasi-graded  course;  that  is,  the  same  subject  forms  the  basis  of  study 
in  all  grades. 

III.    Manuals  and  Text-books  for  Graded    Lessons  by  Com- 
mittees AND  Associations 

1.  The  Presbyterian  Board  of  Publication,  Richmond,  Virginia, 
has  a  "  Manual  of  the  Graded  Course  of  Instruction  in  the  Sunday 
School  and  Family,"  which  provides  for  thirteen  grades,  including  the 
Normal  Department. 

2.  The  Michigan  Congregatiofial  Association  Committee  publishes 
"  The  Graded  Sunday  School  Course  of  Study  for  the  Teacher,"  which 
has  a  scheme  of  supplemental  lessons  for  the  Primary  Department, 
and  four  courses  corresponding  to  the  four  Departments  into  which  the 
the  Sunday  school  is  classified. 

Similar  graded  work  is  outlined:  3.  In  the  Reports  of  the  Com- 
mittee on  Graded  Bible  School  presented  to  the  Association  of  Con- 
gregational Churches  in  Illinois,  in  reports  Nos.  i,  2,  and  3,  1901-1903, 
inclusive; 

4.  In  the  Recommendations  for  Grading  by  the  Rochester  (New 
York)  Sunday  School  Superintendents'  Union,  J.  H.  Gilmore,  Chair- 
man of  the  Committee; 

5.  In  the  Manual  for  the  Graded  Sabbath  School,  Pennsylvania 
State  Sabbath  School  Association;  and 

6.  In  the  Unitarian  Manual,  published  by  the  Western  Unitarian 
Sunday  School  Society,  Chicago,  containing 

(a)  A  Study  of  Religion.     Six  Years'  Outline. 

(b)  A  Study  of  Duties;  The  Growth  of  Character.  Six  Years' 
Outline. 

IV.  Books  containing  suggested  courses  of  study  for  Graded  Bible 
Schools : 

1.  An  Outline  of  a  Bible  School  Curriculum.  Pease.  Univer- 
sity of  Chicago  Press. 

2.  Principles  and  Ideals  for  the  Sunday  School.  Burton  and 
Mathews.     (University  of  Chicago  Press.) 

3.  The  Pedagogical  School.  Haslett.  (Fleming  H.  Revell  Com- 
pany.) 


2IO  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

4.  Grading  the  Sunday  School.     Axtell.    (The  Cumberland  Press.) 

5.  Sunday  School  Movements  in  America.  Marianna  C.  Brown. 
(Fleming  H.  Revell  Company.) 

6.  Modern  Methods  in  Sunday-school  Work.  Mead.  (Dodd, 
Mead   &  Co.) 

V.    Books  with  Lessons  Suited  to  the  Individual   Depart- 
ments OF  THE  Graded  Bible  School. 
I.     Text-hooks  jar  Teachers  of  Children, 
a.  Kindergarten. 

1.  Frederica  Beard:  The  Kindergarten  Sunday  School.  (Pilgrim 
Press,  Boston  and  Chicago.)  Detailed  lessons  for  one  year,  arranged 
according  to  the  months  of  the  year,  recognizing  appropriate  seasons. 
Other  lessons  recognizing  the  social  relationships  of  children. 

2.  Laura  Ella  Cragin:  Kindergarten  Stories  for  the  Sunday 
School  and  Home.  (The  Winona  Publishing  Co.,  Chicago.)  Stories  of 
the  life  of  Christ,  arranged  as  far  as  possible  chronologically,  and  with 
appropriate  lessons  for  special  seasons,  all  of  which  are  illumined  by 
related  incidents  and  stories.  The  book  contains  a  detailed  kinder- 
garten programme. 

3.  Gertrude  Walker  and  Harriett  S.  Jenks:  Songs  and  Games 
for  Little  Ones.  (Oliver  Ditson  Company,  Boston.)  "Is  designed  to 
meet  a  need  "  of  the  kindergarten,  the  school,  and  the  home,  for  songs 
and  games  for  "  little  ones." 

h.   First,  Second,  and  Third  Grades. 

1.  Six  to  Eight  Years.  Florence  U.  Palmer;  One  Year  of  Sun- 
day-school Lessons  for  Young  Children.  A  Manual  for  Teachers  and 
Parents.  (Macmillan  Company,  New  York.)  Appropriate  to  the 
seasons  and  to  the  relationships  of  the  child  in  his  home,  among  his 
fellows  and  to  the  church  and  God.     Illustrations,  music. 

2.  Primary  Manual.  The  Rainbow  Series.  (Rainbow  Publishing 
Company,  Manchester,  N.  H.)  "  Memory  Work,"  "  The  Ten  Com- 
mandments," "  Beatitudes,"  "  First  Psalm,"  "  Books  of  the  Bible," 
"One  Year  of  Stories  from  the  Bible." 

The  Miracles  of  the  Bible.  Same  series  as  above.  "  Remarks  upon 
Selection  to  be  Studied,"  "  Questions,"  "  Written  Answer  Material." 

Stories  of  the  Bible.  Same  series  as  above.  "  Remarks  upon 
Selection  to  be  Studied,"  "  Questions,"  "  Written  Answer  Material." 

The  Parables  of  the  Bible.  "  Remarks  upon  Selection  to  be  Stud- 
ied," "  Questions,"  "  Written  Answer  Material." 

3.  George  Hamilton  Archibald:    The   Beginners'  Course  in  Bible 


BOOKS  AND  LESSONS  FOR  THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL      211 

Study  (two  years).  Treatment  of  the  Beginners'  course  of  the  Inter- 
national Lesson  Committee.  "  Golden  Text,"  "  Aim,"  "  Sugges- 
tions for  Teaching,"  "  Plan  of  Presentation  of  Each  Lesson,"  "  Man- 
ual Work  for  Children,"  "  Memory  Work."  Published  by  Sunday 
school  Times  Company. 

4.  Mrs.  Margaret  J.  Cushman  Haven:  Bible  Lessons  for  Little 
Beginners.  (Fleming  H.  Revell  Company.)  Two  years.  "  Golden 
Text,"  "  Passages  for  the  Teacher's  Study,  with  Analysis,"  "  Outline 
of  Lesson,"  "  Blackboard  Hints,"  "  Presentation  of  the  Lesson  to  the 
Class,"  "  Suggestions  for  Music." 

5.  Mary  E.  Hutcheson:  The  Teacher's  Manual.  (New  Educa- 
tion Series,  Columbus,  Ohio.)  "  Introduction,"  "  Suggestions  to 
Teachers,"  Under  each  lesson  "  Objective  Helps,"  "  Discussion  with 
the  Children,"  "  AppHcation,"  "  Suggestions  for  Teacher's  Reading." 

6.  Walter  L.  Sheldon:  The  Old  Testament  Bible  Stories  for  the 
Young.  (W.  M.  Welch  &  Co.,  Chicago.)  "  Stories  Re-told,  with 
Suggestions  to  the  Mother  or  Teacher." 

7.  Frederica  Beard:  Old  Testament  Manual.  (Winona  Publish- 
ing Company,  Chicago.)  A  two  years'  course  of  lessons  for  children 
of  7  to  9  years  of  age,  covering  Old  Testament  history. 

8.  William  L.  Worcester:  On  Holy  Ground.  (J.  B.  Lippincott 
Company,  Philadelphia.)  Is  a  series  of  stories  from  the  Old  Testament 
and  Gospels  with  pictures  of  Bible  Lands,  peoples,  and  things, 
illustrative  of  the  Scripture  study. 

2.     Text-hooks  for  Teachers  of  Children  in  the  Junior  and  Intermediate 

Grades. 

1.  Nine  to  Fifteen  Years.  Georgia  L.  Chamberlin:  An  Intro- 
duction to  the  Bible  for  Teachers  of  Children.  (University  of  Chicago 
Press,  Chicago.)  Pedagogical  introduction.  Forty  lessons  giving  an 
introduction  to  each  of  the  divisions  of  the  Biblical  material,  books  of 
history  and  story,  poetry,  law,  sermons,  letters,  visions.  Under  each 
lesson:  "Aim,"  "Bibliography,"  "Suggestions  for  the  Preparation 
of  the  Teacher,"  "  Suggestions  for  the  Presentation  of  the  Lesson," 
"  Home  Work  for  the  Children,"  "  Suggestions  to  Parents." 

2.  Melvin  Jackson:  Travels  of  Paul.  (The  International  Com- 
mittee of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.)  A  course  of  study  for  boys'  Bible  classes. 
"  Home  Readings,"  "  Questions  for  Discussion  for  the  Boys,"  "  Man- 
ual for  the  Teacher,  Containing  Outline  for  Study  and  Suggestions  for 
Presentation." 

3.  W.  H.  Davis:      Men  of  the  Bible.     (The  International  Com- 


212  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

mittee  of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.)  For  boys'  Bible  classes.  "  Home  Read- 
ings," "  Questions  for  Discussion  for  the  Boys,"  "  Manual  for  the 
Teacher  Containing  Outline  for  Study  and  Suggestions  for  Presenta- 
tion." 

4.  William  Byron  Forbush:  The  Illuminated  Lessons  on  the  Life 
of  Jesus.  (Underwood  and  Underwood,  New  York.)  "  Sugges- 
tions for  the  Use  of  the  Lessons,  with  Stereographs."  General  pedago- 
gical introduction.     "  Home  Work,"  "  Manual  Methods,"  "  Maps." 

5.  Nahum  Wesley  Grover:  Catechetical  Bible  Lessons.  (Wi- 
nona Publishing  Company,  Chicago.)  General  catechism,  designed  to 
bring  the  great  Scripture  truths  before  children  in  a  definite  and 
lasting  way. 

6.  ■  W.  J.  Mutch:  Junior  Bible  Lessons.  (Christian  Nurture,  New 
Haven,  Conn.)  The  question  method  pursued  in  connection  with 
Biblical  stories,  poems,  hymns  introduced;  blanks  for  written-answer 
questions. 

8.  W.  J.  Mutch:  History  of  the  Bible.  (Christian  Nurture,  New 
Haven,  Conn.)  "  Arranged  for  Use  as  a  Text-book."  "  Brief  His- 
tory of  the  Growth  of  the  Bible  and  Its  Many  Versions."  Each  chapter 
followed  by  review  questions. 

9.  Walter  L.  Sheldon:  Citizenship  and  the  Duties  of  a  Citizen. 
"  Ethics  for  the  Young."  (W.  M.  Welch  Company,  Chicago.)  (For 
use  rather  in  the  home  and  the  day-school  than  the  Sunday-school.) 

10.  Walter  L.  Sheldon:  Lessons  in  the  Study  of  Habits.  (W.  M. 
Welch  Company,  Chicago.)  "  A  Series  of  Chapters  on  the  Meaning 
of  Habit  and  the  Habits  Themselves."  "  Suggested  Dialogue,  Ques- 
tion, Maxims,  Poems." 

11.  Ernest  D.  Burton:  Studies  in  the  Gospel  According  to  Mark. 
(The  University  of  Chicago  Press.)  "  Preface  for  the  Pupil,"  "  Pref- 
ace to  the  Teacher."  Sixty-nine  sections  of  Scripture  material. 

12.  Frederica  Beard:  Wonder  Stories  from  the  Gospels.  (Wi- 
nona Publishing  Company,  Chicago.)  A  series  of  lessons  for 
children  of  nine  and  ten  years  of  age  on,  the  Life  and  Ministry  of  Jesus. 

13.  Mrs.  M.  G.  Kennedy;  Special  Songs  and  Services,  Nos  i. 
and  2  (W.  A.  Wilde  Company,  Boston,  Chicago),  arranged  for  Primary 
and  Intermediate  Classes.     Various  Order  of  Services  are  given. 

3.     Text-hooks  for  Adults  and  Senior  Classes. 
I.     William  R.  Harper:     The  Foreshadowings  of  the  Christ,  The 
Work  of  the  Old  Testament  Sages,  The  Work  of  the  Old  Testament 
Priests.     (The   American   Institute    of   Sacred    Literature,    Chicago.) 


BOOKS  AND  LESSONS  FOR  THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL       213 

Three  outline  studies,  covering  each  nine  months,  using  only  Scripture 
material,  inductive  method,  daily  work  assigned,  review  questions, 
provision  for  certificate,  individual  class- work. 

2.  Ernest  D.  Burton:  The  Life  of  Christ,  The  Founding  of  the 
Christian  Church.  (American  Institute  of  Sacred  Literature,  Chi- 
cago.) Two  outline  studies  covering  each  nine  months,  using  only 
Scripture  material,  inductive  method,  daily  work  assigned,  review 
c^uestions,  provision  for  certificate,  individual  class-work. 

3.  Shailer  Mathews:  The  Social  and  Ethical  Teaching  of  Jesus. 
(The  American  Institute  of  Sacred  Literature,  Chicago.)  Outline  of 
material  from  the  Gospels. 

4.  Hazard-Fowler:  The  Books  of  the  Bible  with  Relation  to 
Their  Place  in  History.  (Pilgrim  Press,  Boston,  Chicago.)  Fifty 
studies  on  the  Biblical  books. 

5.  Taylor  and  Morgan :  Studies  in  the  Life  of  Christ.  (Eaton  and 
Mains,  and  Jennings  and  Pye.)  "  Suggestions  for  Daily  Work,"  "  In- 
troductory Material,"  "  Personal  Thought." 

Taj'lor  and  Morgan:  Studies  in  the  Apostolic  Age.  (Eaton  and 
Mains,  and  Jennings  and  Pye.)  Same  series  as  Taylor  and  Morgan: 
Life  of  Christ. 

6.  Ernest  D.  Burton:  Handbook  on  the  Life  of  the  Apostle  Paul. 
(The  University  of  Chicago  Press.)  "  An  outline  for  class-room  and 
private  study." 

7.  H.  M.  Hamill:  Practical  Outline  Study  of  the  Four  Gospels, 
Life  of  Christ,  Acts.  (Winona  Publishing  Company,  Chicago.)  "  Sug- 
gestions for  Drill." 

8.  Milton  E.  Kern:  Lessons  in  New  Testament  History.  (Union 
College  Press,  College  View,  Nebraska.)  Volumes  i  and  2,  Life  of 
Christ;  volume  3,  Apostolic  History. 

9.  Burton  and  Mathews:  Constructive  Studies  in  the  Life  of 
Christ.  (University  of  Chicago  Press.)  "  Map,"  "  Suggestions  to 
Teachers,"  "  General  Bibliography,"  "Historical  Introduction,"  "Il- 
lustrations."   Thirty-five  chapters. 

10.  William  R.,  Harper:  Constructive  Studies  in  the  Priestly 
Element  of  the  Old  Testament.  (University  of  Chicago  Press.)  "  Eleven 
chapters;  covering  history  of  worship  in  the  Old  Testament,  according 
to  the  early,  the  middle,  and  the  late  period.  A  comparative  study  of 
the  laws  and  usages  of  worship."  "  Full  Bibliography  of  both  English 
and  German  authors,"  "  Constructive  Work,"  "  Questions,"  "  Sug- 
gestions," "  Supplementary  Topics." 

11.  Henry  T.  Sell:     Bible  Study  by  Books.     (Fleming  H.  Revell 


214  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

Company,   Chicago.)     Fifty-two  studies,  introductions  to  the  Books 
of  the  Bible,  the  author,  "  Analysis,"  "  Aim,"  etc. 

12.  Henry  T.  Sell:  Supplementary  Bible  Studies.  (Revell  Com- 
pany, Chicago.)  Twenty-four  chapters  on  the  History  of  the  Bible, 
the  Land  of  Palestine,  etc. 

13.  Henry  Berkowitz:  The  Open  Bible.  (The  Jewish  Chautau- 
qua Society,  Philadelphia.)  A  series  of  Lessons,  with  Required  Read- 
ing, Suggestions,  Tests,  and  Reviews  on  the  Old  Testament  History 
and  Literature. 

14.  D.  C.  Marquiss:  Life  of  Christ  in  Seven  Periods.  (Winona 
Publishing  Company,  Chicago.)  An  outline  of  Scripture  material, 
with  occasional  notes. 

VI.     Graded  Courses  by  Private  and  Independent  Publishers. 

1.  The  Bible  Study  Union,  or  Blakeslee,  Lessons  provide  "  Six 
Comprehensive  and  Connected  Series  of  Lessons."  These  are  divided 
into  biographical  and  historical  lessons.  The  biographical  are:  "The 
Patriarchs,  Kings,  and  Prophets,"  "  The  Life  of  Christ,"  and  "  New 
Testament  Heroes."  The  historical  are:  "  Old  Testament  History," 
"  Gospel  History,"  and  "  Apostolic  Church  History." 

Uniformity  in  the  subjects  studied,  together  with  a  grading,  so  far 
as  possible,  of  the  material  and  treatments  under  this  general  subject, 
form  the  basis  of  this  series. 

2.  Bible  Studies,  Elyria,  Ohio,  provides  for  four  grades  with  the 
purpose  of  making  the  series  a  correlated  and  chronological  study  of 
the  Bible  from  an  historical  standpoint. 

3.  The  Rainbow  Publishing  Co.,  Manchester,  New  Hampshire, 
issues  undated  text-books  for  a  graded  school  of  five  departments,  with 
recommendation  of  the  International  Lessons  for  senior  classes. 

4.  Christian  Nurture,  New  Haven,  Connecticut,  provides  a  graded 
course  based  on  the  three  department  divisions  of  the  Sunday  school. 
"  Junior  Bible  Lessons  "  is  a  cloth-bound  text-book.  "  The  History  of 
the  Bible  "  and  "  Christian  Teachings  "  are  paper  bound.  The  books 
are  intended  to  be  used  as  text-books  by  the  pupil,  and  are  undated. 

5.  The  Lutheran  Book  Concern,  Columbus,  Ohio,  publishes  "  Bib- 
lical History  for  Primary  Classes,"  a  cloth-bound  text-book,  illustrated 
with  woodcuts,  162  pages;  and  "  Biblical  History  for  Intermediate 
and  Higher  Classes,"  a  board-bound  text-book  of  368  pages.  Both 
contain  only  the  words  of  Scripture. 

6.  The  George  W.  Jacobs  and  Company,  Philadelphia,  Penn- 
sylvania, publishes  two  quarterlies  of  selected  lessons,  the  one  being  for 
use  in  the  Primary  and  Junior  Grades;  the  other  for  the  Intermediate 


BOOKS  AND  LESSONS  FOR  THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL      215 

and  Senior  Grades.  The  features  are  memory  verses,  questions,  "  col- 
lect," and  for  the  Intermediate  and  Senior  Grades  daily  Bible  Readings. 
7.  Illustrative  of  individual  work  of  many  pastors,  we  mention  the 
series  of  graded  studies  prepared  by  H.  P.  De  Forest,  D.  D.,  for  the  five 
departments  of  the  Woodward  Avenue  Congregational  Church,  Detroit, 
Michigan.  The  booklets  are:  Course  one,  "Story  of  the  Jews." 
Course  two,  "  Studies  of  the  Apostolic  Age."  Course  three,  "  The  Story 
and  Teachings  of  Jesus."  Course  four,  "  The  History  of  Ancient 
Israel."     Course  five,  "  Israel's  Prophetic  Age." 

Respectfully  submitted. 

Geo.  Whitefield  Mead, 
Miss  Georgia  L.  Chamberlin, 
Delbert  S.  Ullrick, 

Commitiee. 

Note.  —  A  very  full  Bibliography  of  works  for  Sunday  School 
teachers  and  officers,  and  for  students  of  religious  pedagogy,  has  been 
prepared  by  the  Rev.  William  Walter  Smith,  M.  D.,  under  the  direction 
of  the  Sunday  School  Department.  It  is  so  complete  that  it  should  be 
of  value  to  a  very  large  class,  and  it  is  the  hope  of  the  Religious  Educa- 
tion Association  to  make  it  available  to  all  by  issuing  it  at  some 
future  date  as  a  separate  publication. 


THE    SCOPE    AND    PURPOSE    OF    THE    SUNDAY-SCHOOL 

EXHIBIT 

REV.  RICHARD  MORSE  HODGE,  D.D. 

DIRECTOR  EXTENSION  COURSES  FOR  LAY  STUDENTS,  UNION  THEOLOGICAL 
SEMINARY,  NEW   YORK  CITY 

The  Sunday  School  Department  of  the  Religious  Education  Associa- 
tion has  arranged  a  Sunday  school  exhibit  in  Gilbert  Hall  of  this  build- 
ing (Tremont  Temple),  and  delegates  and  all  others  interested  are 
invited  to  the  inspection  of  the  exhibit  during  the  sessiqn  of  the  con- 
vention. 

The  exhibit  displays  the  different  policies  of  religious  education 
pursued  by  Protestant,  Roman  Catholic,  and  Jewish  Sunday  Schools 
in  the  United  States  and  Canada.  The  material  embraces  Sunday 
school  building  plans,  apparatus,  maps,  oriental  models,  literature, 
curricula,  printed  forms  for  administration,  and  a  more  comprehensive 
display  than  has  been  made  elsewhere  of  manual  work  executed  by 
Sunday  school  pupils,  in  the  form  of  maps  and  picture  and  narrative 
books.  A  printed  guide  has  been  provided,  which  locates  the  exhibits 
according  to  wall  sections  and  tables.  Members  of  the  committee  in 
charge  will  be  found  ready  to  furnish  information  regarding  the  ex- 
hibits and  give  demonstrations  of  manual  work  either  immediately  on 
application  or  according  to  appointment.  A  clerk  has  been  engaged 
to  take  orders  for  any  purchasable  articles,  samples  of  which  may  be 
on  exhibition.  The  exhibit  has  been  made  as  comprehensive  as  cir- 
cumstances would  permit.  The  articles  displayed  have  been  reduced 
to  as  small  a  number  as  the  comprehensive  character  of  the  exhibit 
would  permit,  lest  the  plan  of  arrangement  should  be  lost  in  a  multi- 
plicity of  detail,  and  the  result  prove  more  bewildering  than  suggestive, 
especially  as  the  time  available  to  delegates  for  the  inspection  of  what 
is  offered  is  necessarily  limited. 

The  purposes  of  the  exhibit  may  be  summarized  as  follows : 

I.  To  record  the  present  progress  of  religious  education  in  the 
Sunday  schools  of  the  country.  The  maps  of  paper-pulp  and  clay, 
for  instance,  have  been  made  during  the  last  twelve  months,  and  are  the 
first  work  of  pupils  in  Sunday  schools  which,  as  far  as  known,  are  the 
pioneers  in  this  method  of  Sunday-school  geography  study.  The  best 
that  can  be  said  of  the  books  shown  is  that  they  include  the  most  im- 
portant recent  contributions  to  Sunday  school  literature. 


THE  SUNDAY-SCHOOL  EXHIBIT  217 

2.  To  promote  the  co-operation  of  Protestant,  Roman  Catholic, 
and  Jewish  Sunday  school  workers  in  the  sokition  of  problems  of  re- 
ligious education.  This  is  the  first  Sunday  school  exhibit  at  which 
the  methods  of  these  three  bodies  or  of  any  two  of  them  have  been 
shown  together. 

3.  To  suggest  the  value  of  permanent  Sunday  school  exhibits  of  a 
comparative  and  non-sectarian  character  in  every  city  at  least  in  the 
country.  A  permanent  encyclopaedic  exhibit  has  been  developed  for 
several  years  at  the  headquarters  of  the  Sunday  School  Commission 
of  the  Diocese  of  New  York,  considerable  material  from  which  figures 
in  the  exhibit  of  this  convention.  A  permanent  exhibit  is  being  collected 
under  the  auspices  of  the  Jewish  Summer  School. 

4.  To  demonstrate  the  value  of  a  Sunday  school  museum,  on  how- 
ever modest  a  scale,  for  every  Sunday  school  in  the  land.  Our  ex- 
hibit indicates  what' material  would  prove  most  useful,  the  character 
and  quality  of  the  articles  necessary  to  make  such  a  museum  up  to  date, 
and  what  articles  could  be  made  by  Sunday-school  pupils  themselves, 
and  information  is  offered  concerning  where  additional  equipment  can 
be  purchased.  The  contents  of  a  Sunday  school  museum  are  available 
for  classroom  use;  and  the  honor  of  securing  a  place  for  their  best 
work  in  the  museum  of  the  school  cannot  fail  to  stimulate  the  efforts 
of  pupils  in  all  of  the  forms  of  manual  exercises  employed.  A  special 
room  for  a  museum,  however  desirable,  will  be  found  by  no  means  es- 
sential.    The  whole  plant  may  be  made  a  school  and  museum  in  one. 

5.  To  remind  theological  seminaries  and  colleges  that,  without  a 
museum  of  Sunday  school  appliances  and  specimens  of  pupil  work, 
they  lack  essential  equipment  for  Sunday  school  teacher  training. 
Teachers'  College,  Columbia  University,  has  started  a  permanent  Sun- 
day school  exhibit  in  its  museum,  and  last  year  held  the  first  of  pro- 
posed special  annual  Sunday  school  exhibits.  A  Sunday  school 
museum  has  been  undertaken  also  at  Union  Theological  Seminary, 
New  York. 

6.  To  demonstrate  the  value  of  seeing,  handhng,  and  using  Sunday 
school  appliances  and  of  practising  manual  methods  in  teacher-training 
classes  conducted  by  normal  departments  of  Sunday  schools,  Sunday 
school  institutes,  and  summer  schools.  A  very  few  minutes'  experi- 
ment in  our  Sunday  school  exhibit  hall  will  convince  the  most  skeptical, 
whether  spent  in  explaining  a  conclusion  upon  a  Sunday  school  ques- 
tion to  an  inquirer  or  in  seeking  information  of  some  one  qualified  to 
explain  an  unfamiliar  principle  or  method  of  Sunday  school  administra- 
tion or  teaching. 


2i8  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION. 

An  exhibit  has  an  obvious  function  in  the  work  of  the  Sunday  school 
department  of  the  ReHgious  Education  Association.  This  platform  is 
the  rostrum  of  the  department.  The  different  Sunday  schools  of  the 
country  are  the  department's  numerous  laboratories.  And  the  annual 
exhibit  is  its  traveling  museum.  The  museum  and  rostrum  alike 
derive  inspiration  from  the  local  laboratories.  If  the  method  of  ex- 
pression of  the  rostrum  is  more  elastic,  that  of  the  museum  is  more 
concrete.  Claims  made  upon  the  platform  are  demonstrated  in  the 
exhibit  by  the  evidence  of  actual  accomplishment.  The  exhibit  is  a 
friendly  competitor  of  the  platform.  You  have  heard  the  adage, 
"  What  you  do  speaks  so  loud  that  I  cannot  hear  what  you  say."  You 
remember,  too,  the  Greek  who  said,  "You  can  make  the  laws,  only 
let  me  write  the  people's  songs."  The  many  men,  women,  and  children 
who  have  made  contributions  to  your  exhibit  have  no  reason  to  envy 
those  who  speak  from  this  platform.  You  may  make  the  speeches, 
if  only  we  can  make  the  exhibit! 

An  exhibit  would  seem  to  be  as  essential  to  the  Young  Men's  Chris- 
tian Association  and  Young  People's  Societies  departments  as  to  the 
department  of  Sunday  schools.  In  fact,  the  educational  work  of  all 
of  these  departments  is  represented  in  the  exhibit  which  we  have  pre- 
pared. 

THE   CONTENTS   OF   THE   EXHIBIT. 

Sunday  School  Plant:    Plans,  furniture,  and  apparatus. 

Literature:    Text-books  and  reference  works. 

Maps:    Wall  relief  and  print  maps  and  atlases. 

Pictures:     Wall  prints,  small  prints,  pictijre  cards,  and  stereographs. 

Models:  Oriental  dwellings,  furniture,  implements,  and  other  ar- 
ticles. 

Administration:    Forms  for  records,  programs,  and  diplomas. 

Curricula:  The  International  and  other  one-subject  courses  and 
graded  courses. 

Manual  Methods:  Biblical  maps  executed  by  pupils  in  relief, 
colors,  lines,  and  points;  their  picture-books  of  prints,  titles,  texts, 
written  descriptions,  and  illustrative  drawings;  narrative  books  of 
biblical  history,  illustrated  by  maps  and  drawings;  and  illuminated 
cards  and  folders  of  hymns,  prayers,  prints,  and  drawin^^s. 


VI.     SECONDARY  PUBLIC  SCHOOLS 


WHAT   CHANGES   SHOULD   BE   MADE   IN   PUBLIC   HIGH 

SCHOOLS  TO  MAKE  THEM  MORE  EFFICIENT  IN 

MORAL  TRAINING? 

PRESIDENT  G.  STANLEY  HALL,  Ph.D.,  LL.D. 

CLARK  UNIVERSITY,    WORCESTER,    MASSACHUSETTS 

The  answer  to  this  question  that  will  probably  first  occur  to  most  is 
the  method  long  in  vogue  in  Germany,  and  now  adopted  with  some 
modifications  in  France  and  England.  Under  this  system  children 
of  each  confession  go  at  certain  hours,  provided  each  week  on  the 
secondary  programme,  to  special  religious  teachers,  who  are  usually 
nominated  by  the  church  and  examined  and  paid  by  the  state.  Germany 
recognizes  Catholics,  Lutherans,  and  Jews.  England  requires  some 
religious  instruction  for  all  children,  even  those  of  free  thinkers.  This 
scheme  has  intricacies  and  many  variations,  but,  in  general,  works  well, 
and  partial  applications  of  it  have  been  tried  sporadically  in  this  country. 
It  is,  however,  hardly  practicable  here  on  a  large  scale,  for  many  rea- 
sons which  do  not  concern  us  here.  What  does  concern  us,  however, 
is  that  it  is  very  doubtful  if  Bible  teaching,  hymn,  church  forms,  and 
history,  especially  when  taught  intellectually  for  examination,  have 
much  power  for  morahty,  and  I,  for  one,  am  coming  to  think  that  how- 
ever the  Scriptures  are  taught  they  need  to  be  supplemented  by  other 
agencies  to  entirely  meet  the  ethical  needs  of  our  modern  youth.  It 
should  be  no  shock  to  believers  to  find  they  cannot  make  the  Bible 
do  everything.  This  is  a  view  now  held  by  many,  and  so  we  have  a 
number  of  attempts,  mostly  rather  crude,  to  make  selections  from  the 
facts  and  teachings  of  Confucianism  and  even  Mohammedanism,  but 
especially  from  Buddhism,  and  also  several  attempts  by  Protestants 
to  select  and  re-edit  a  few  of  the  lives  of  the  saints,  and  some  of  the  more 
liberal  editors  incorporate  pertinent  secular  maxims  and  proverbs, 
extracts  of  Talmudic  and  patristic  hterature,  etc.  For  one  I  cannot 
abandon  hope  of  a  Bible  chrestomathy  like  that  of  Moulton  or  the  Chi- 
cago Woman's  Club,  on  which  Catholics  and  Protestants  and  also, 
for  the  Old  Testament,  Jews  shall  agree,  and  to  this  I  personally  would 
like  to  add  gems  from  other  religions.  This,  together  with  a  few  hymns 
and  prayers,  is  incorporated  in  all  the  best  authorized  German  readers 
and  gives  them  a  unique  and  welcome  character.     The  time  has  now 

219 


220  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

come  for  another  committee  of  ten  or  less  to  try  to  solve  this  problem. 
But  highly  susceptible  as  youth  is  to  religious  influences,  and  potent 
above  all  other  agencies  as  these  are  for  virtue,  even  the  above  resources 
are  not  entirely  sufl&cient  for  adolescent  nature  and  needs.  Religions 
do  need  to  be  supplemented  by  other  motives  to  develop  juvenile 
morality.  Thus,  secondly,  while  using  to  the  uttermost  every  religious 
motivation,  some  have  sought  ways  and  means  to  supplement  these  by 
other  efforts,  as  follows:  English  and  other  classical  literature  and 
history  has  been  searched  for  outcrops  of  great  moral  problems. 
These  have  been  excerpted,  perhaps  restated  with  some  sacrifice  of 
classical  form  for  the  sake  of  content,  epitomized,  and  condensed  and 
used  to  perform  the  decision  of  conscience,  to  show  virtue  both  ex- 
ternally rewarded  and  also  as  its  own  reward,  to  broaden  moral  expe- 
rience by  depicting  great  struggles  between  good  and  evil  in  the  soul, 
and  in  a  word,  to  teach  ethics  by  example.  Mr.  H.  Bigg  calls  such  an 
anthology  an  ethnic  Bible,  and  in  France  an  official  text-book  has  been 
compiled  to  inspire  youth  to  great  deeds  by  illustrations  from  the  na- 
tional history  and  literature,  and  the  Germans  seek  this  end  in  their 
many-volumed  readers.  Indeed,  the  claim  is  now  heard  that  every 
other  end  in  the  teaching  of  the  vernacular  literature,  such  as  style, 
form,  historical  completeness,  literary  criticism,  philology,  should  be 
absolutely  subordinated  to  the  purpose  of  moral  improvement.  With 
all  these  ideals  and  endeavors,  I,  for  one,  have  the  most  hearty  sym- 
pathy, and  beheve  them  pedagogically  sound  and  full  of  hope.  It 
would  mean  a  radical  reform  and  reconstruction  of  the  present  pre- 
scribed methods  and  ideals  of  high-school  English,  and  would  rescue 
this  work  from  its  present  degradation  of  content  in  the  interests  of  form. 
But  even  both  these  methods  are  together  not  entirely  adequate  to 
the  present  grave  and  growing  need  of  moralizing  high-school  educa- 
tion. To  them  should  be  added,  as  a  third,  a  systematic  course  of  moral 
education  of  a  very  concise,  concrete,  and  practical  kind,  an  outline  of 
which,  as  it  has  grown  in  my  mind,  is  as  follows:  First  should  come 
health  as  wholeness  or  holiness  of  body,  comprising  plain,  personal, 
homely  talks,  with  perhaps  sometimes  brief  papers  and  discussions 
by  the  class  on  diet,  regimen,  individual  hygiene,  sleep,  body-keeping 
generally.  Here  the  intense  zest  for  athletics  should  be  tapped  or 
turned  on  as  a  motive  power.  Temperance  comes  here.  There  should 
be  a  little  sane  and  scientific  teaching  about  alcoholism,  the  ideals  of 
the  simple  life  versus  luxury,  regularity,  dress,  and  this  part  of  the 
course  should  culminate  in  a  few  very  plain  medical  talks  to  boys  alone 
about  purity,  sexual  regimen,  and  heredity. 


HIGH  SCHOOLS  AND  MORAL  TRAINING  221 

Then  should  come  something  about  the  life  of  feeling,  especially 
anger,  its  place,  the  kinds  of  temper,  and  their  vents,  control,  patience, 
with  snatches  of  the  new  psychology  in  this  field.  So,  too,  the  very 
delicate  topic  of  love  has  aspects  where  wise  instruction  by  hints  and 
rapid  suggestion  can  do  much.  Loving  aright  up  the  Platonic  ladder 
to  the  good,  beautiful  and  true,  is  a  fruitful  source  and  theme  of  wis- 
dom. Friendship  is  a  helpful  and  related  theme,  and  its  lofty  ideals  in 
antiquity  and  modern  instances  can  be  adduced,  showing  its  qualities 
and  influences,  and  what  companionship,  cliques,  and  even  gangs  and 
other  forms  of  youthful  association  can  do.  Even  sympathy  with 
animals  should  not  be  omitted.  So  fear  and  cowardice,  true  courage, 
moral  and  physical,  the  Aristotelian  fearing  aright  as  the  consumma- 
tion of  human  wisdom,  envy,  jealousy,  revenge,  etc.,  should  not  be 
omitted. 

So,  too,  the  great  primal  duties,  based  on  conscience  and  the  moral 
instinct,  and  casuistry,  habit  and  its  relation  to  duty,  can  be  enforced 
in  an  unsophisticated  way,  and  made  simple  and  direct.  Work  and 
the  strenuous  life  versus  sloth  and  idleness;  selfishness  versus  altruism; 
generosity  and  benevolence,  and  the  duty  of  helpfulness;  obedience, 
authority,  conformity  to  custom,  conventional  lies,  independence,  and 
individuality;  courtesy,  politeness,  the  ideal  of  the  gentleman  in  relation 
to  society  and  to  women,  social  form,  magnanimity,  noblesse  oblige  versus 
exiguousness  and  overscrupulosity  and  meanness;  patriotism  and  its 
duties  and  implications,  citizenship  and  the  rudiments  of  civic  obliga- 
tion; money,  wealth,  and  poverty,  their  uses  and  abuses,  display  and 
simple  tastes;  — all  these  virtues  we  know,  if  Plato  did  not,  can  now 
be  taught  to  some  extent.  So,  too,  something  is  needed  about  euphoria, 
the  joy  of  living,  the  place  of  fun,  having  a  good  time,  play,  sports, 
games,  the  duty  of  happiness,  the  optimist  and  the  pessimist,  the  con- 
duct of  the  imagination,  revery,  interest,  curiosity,  and  their  opposite, 
apathy,  nil  admirari,  and  indifference.  Perhaps  highest  of  all  moral 
themes  for  youth  stands  honor.  It  can  do  for  the  modern  heart  some 
things  religion  cannot.  It  has  had  many  a  code  and  standard.  In 
Bushido  it  is  well  called  the  soul  of  Japan,  as  it  was  of  chivalry,  and  has 
given  us  our  ideals  of  the  gentleman.  No  human  soul  is  so  degraded  that 
it  cannot  respond  intensely  to  some  form  of  this  sentiment.  It  has  made 
men  who  scorned  religion  accept  disgrace  and  even  death  in  silence, 
and  fly  to  the  wages  of  battle  where  Hfe  was  at  stake.  Like  all  strong 
instincts,  it  is  often  perverted,  and  sanctions  many  evils,  and  is  in  crying 
need  of  edification.  Probably  every  man  of  spirit  would  prefer  death 
to  dishonor.     Perhaps  its  psycho-genetic  root  is  loyalty  to  the  unborn, 


222  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

but  if  so,  it  is  often  strangely  perverted.  It  can  probably  be  made  the 
strongest  of  all  supports  of  true  virtue.  Hovi^  can  the  true  teacher,  who 
is  faithful  to  his  high  calling  as  a  real  shepherd  of  souls,  view  with  in- 
difference the  distortion  and  degeneration  of  this  primal  principle  or 
not  yearn  to  re-orient  and  utilize  it  for  morality  ? 

I  know  that  many  wise  teachers  will  doubt  the  feasibility  of  such  a 
course  in  practical  ethics.  I  grant  it  requires  consummate  tact,  good 
taste,  great  knowledge  of  youth,  and  not  only  the  experience  that  comes 
with  age,  but  a  unique  equipment  of  modern  special  knowledge,  and 
also  that  although  there  have  been  many  tentative  and  partial  efforts 
in  this  direction,  it  has  not  yet  anywhere  fully  demonstrated  its  power. 
The  text-books  in  elementary  ethics  are,  the  best  of  them,  not  adequate, 
and  the  worst,  by  far  in  the  majority,  are  those  that  are  devoted  to 
ethical  theory,  which  youth  abhors,  and  which  teach  a  senescent  morality 
that  suggest  that  Plato  was  right  that  a  young  man  should  be  whipped 
who  wanted  to  study  ethics.  But  it  is  in  the  vast  new  resources  of 
inductive  and  empirical  psychology,  ethics  and  sociology,  that  the  most  of 
the  best  of  this  material  is  found,  and  that  these  are  now  adequate  I  am 
fully  and  completely  convinced.  It  is  precisely  here  that  it  is  capable, 
when  the  data  are  properly  organized,  of  inaugurating  a  most  needed 
and  salutary  departure.  The  opponent  of  such  a  course  most  to  be 
feared  is  the  academic  professor  of  ethics  of  the  speculative  and  his- 
toric school,  because  for  him  ethics  means  the  study  of  ultimate  standards 
of  right  and  wrong,  and  it  is  precisely  of  this  that  I  would  say  with  Plato 
it  should  be  forbidden  to  youth.  What  is  needed  is  not  types  of  theory, 
but  types  of  each  virtue  and  vice,  the  miser,  hypocrite,  saint,  martyr,  the 
sot  and  the  sage,  the  paragon  of  patience  or  heroism,  the  great  patriot, 
the  dreamer,  idler,  the  roue,  the  leader,  and  the  henchman,  the  rollicker 
and  the  precisian  and  formalist,  the  ideal  student,  the  investigator,  the 
recluse  and  man  of  affairs,  the  fop,  cynic,  the  Puritan  and  the  cavalier, 
the  ascetic  and  the  debauchee,  the  finicky  and  overscrupulous  man, 
and  the  slattern,  the  virago,  the  naive,  and  sophisticated,  and  all  the 
other  types  of  human  nature  which  stand  out  in  letters  and  history  more 
clearly  and  uniquely  because  in  simpler  lineaments  than  they  are  any- 
where found  in  life.  These  are  single,  elemental,  moral  qualities  per- 
sonified, and  so  best  suited  for  those  in  the  elemental  stage  of  studying 
man,  the  supreme  end  of  all  study.  These  put  forth  with  strong  colors, 
and  fit  incidents  set  in  characteristic  action,  brought  into  conflict  with 
'^ach  other  with  the  good  always  triumphing  over  the  bad,  teach  lessons 
that  sink  deep  and  take  root  and  bear  fruit  in  youthful  souls.  The 
moral  must  be  submerged,  impressed  indirectly  by  hint  and  suggestion, 
but  must  never  be  absent. 


HIGH  SCHOOLS  AND  MORAL  TRAINING  223 

Now  this  can  be  done,  but  not  ad  hoc,  nor  by  one  individual,  but  on 
the  basis  of  syllabi,  wrought  out  by  collective  wisdom,  and  with  the 
systematic  co-operation  of  a  few  high  schools  that  would  give  a  little 
time  to  it  — .part  here,  part  there.  With  such  a  method  we  might  in  a 
few  years,  by  bringing  into  fruitful  union  the  psychologist  and  the 
practical  high  school  teacher  who  could  work  in  freedom  from  college 
domination,  possess  a  mine  of  teachable  moral  worths  that  would  have 
a  value  and  power  of  which  we  now  little  dream. 


Discussion 


FREDERIC  ALLISON  TUPPER       ' 

HEAD  MASTER  OF  THE  BRIGHTON  HIGH  SCHOOL,   BOSTON,  MASSACHUSETTS 

First,  the  material  side  of  the  school  must  be  given  vastly  more 
attention  than  it  has  received  up  to  this  time.  The  generous  play- 
ground, the  ample  gymnasium,  the  suitable  equipment  of  baths,  lunch- 
eons not  too  hygienic  for  "  human  nature's  daily  food,"  all  have  their 
places  in  this  problem.  Let  the  sunlight  into  the  schoolrooms  at  all 
hazards.  Spare  not  soap  and  water.  If  the  old  ventilating  apparatus 
is  bad,  have  it  torn  out.  Introduce  some  workable  system  of  medical 
inspection  which,  by  its  skilled  prevention,  will  forestall  many  an  ill- 
ness. Introduce  moisture  into  the  air  of  the  schoolroom.  Cleanliness 
is,  indeed,  next  to  godliness;  so,  furnish  abundance  of  pure  water,  un- 
stinted soap,  and  altogether  too  many  towels. 

Second,  let  that  beauty  which  is  truth  characterize  the  school 
building  and  all  of  its  surroundings.  A  noble  approach  has  much  to 
do  with  the  architectural  effect  of  a  building.  A  noble  building,  nobly 
approached,  and  nobly  surrounded,  is  a  perpetual  moral  lesson. 

The  interior  of  the  building  must  correspond  with  the  exterior  in 
dignity  and  truth.  Broad  corridors,  wide  stairways,  ample  class- 
rooms, generous  halls,  waste  no  space,  they  are,  as  Emerson  would  say, 
"  pure  use."  In  the  decoration  of  the  building  is  found  a  most  admira- 
ble opportunity  of  emphasizing  the  moral  lessons  of  all  time.  When 
the  time  of  widely  extended  liberal  culture  shall  come,  many  of  the  pale 
casts  and  colorless  photographs  will  be  consigned  to  the  museum,  and 
in  their  stead  beautiful  original  wall-paintings  by  native  artists  will 
fascinate  with  their  beauty  and  elevate  by  their  dignity.  Such  pictures, 
appropriate  to  their  surroundings,  might  well  influence  the  beholders 
forever. 

Our  secondary  schools  are  largely  a  mirror  of  the  times,  so  that 
certain  accepted  elements  of  daily  life  must  be  eliminated  before  the 


224  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

best  results  can  be  reasonably  expected.  With  immoral  books  and 
papers  for  sale  on  every  hand,  with  immoral  plays  at  many  a  theater,  and 
immoral  bill-boards  advertising  the  immoral  plays,  with  immoral 
critics  who  term  indecency  "  virility,"  whereas  it  is  merely  bestiality, 
the  secondary  schools  have  a  problem  of  the  most  difficult  nature. 

The  teacher's  greatest  influence  is  unconscious.  There  is  a  beauti- 
ful winning  quality  called  "  charm,"  characteristic  of  the  "  brightest, 
most  consummate  flower  "  of  our  civilization.  When  "  charm  "  is 
combined  with  high  character  and  great  abihty,  there  is  a  combination 
of  matchless  power.  Where  can  that  combination  be  so  essential  as 
in  the  profession  of  teaching?  The  voice  of  our  Saviour  said  to  the 
tumultuous  sea,  "  Peace!"  and  it  was  still.  To  the  tumultuous  heart 
of  youth,  the  spirit  of  loving-kindness,  of  the  gentleman,  of  the  gentle- 
woman, speaks  with  unconscious  power  and  charm,  and  that  stormy, 
impulsive  heart  grows  calm.  And  so  I  welcome  every  measure  that 
will  improve  the  quality  of  our  teaching  force,  for  with  them  more,  than 
with  any  other  element  in  the  discussion,  are  "  the  issues  of  life." 

The  best  men  and  women,  no  matter  what  the  cost  of  their  services, 
are  the  only  suitable  guardians  of  the  moral  training  of  our  boys  and 
girls.  In  consequence  of  the  number  of  such  men  and  women  in  the 
profession  of  teaching,  much  more  progress  in  moral  training  in  second- 
ary schools  has  been  made  than  many  eminent  authorities  suppose. 

Some  gentlemen  tell  us  that  our  public  schools  are  Godless  and 
utterly  irreligious!  I  deny  the  statement  utterly.  From  an  experi- 
ence of  twenty-five  years  in  these  schools  I  say  that  good  progress  is 
made  in  the  moral  and  religious  training  of  our  youth  in  these  schools. 
If  the  various  communities  desire  more  of  this  instruction  than  their 
children  are  now  getting,  they  have  every  facihty  for  making  their 
wishes  known.  It  may  be  that  a  more  widely  extended  use  of  text- 
books of  moral  and  of  mental  science  would  be  productive  of  good, 
but  such  books  must  be  as  unsectarian  as  sunlight,  air,  and  water. 
Some  years  ago  I  had  in  my  school-building  two  small,  poorly  lighted, 
badly  ventilated  recitation-rooms,  and  a  dark  passageway  between 
them.  I  had  the  partition  knocked  out,  and  with  what  result?  There 
is  one  broad,  sunlit,  airy  classroom.  If  there  is  to  be  still  more  moral 
and  religious  training  in  the  secondary  schools,  it  must  be  moral  and 
religious,  with  all  the  sectarian  partitions  knocked  out,  so  that  the  air 
and  sunshine  of  God,  unrestrained  by  the  devices  of  man,  may  per- 
meate the'school  where  his  children  meet  on  equal  terms. 


HAS  THE  READING  OF  LATIN  AND  GREEK  LITERATURE 

ANY  EFFECT,  FAVORABLE  OR  UNFAVORABLE, 

UPON   THE  MORALS    OF   PUPILS  ? 

PRINCIPAL  WILLIAM  T.  PECK,  Sc.D. 

CLASSICAL  HIGH  SCHOOL,  PROVIDENCE,  RHODE  ISLAND 

The  question  assigned  for  the  hour  was  probably  put  into  this  form 
in  order  to  arouse  attention  and  to  cause  the  teacher  to  consider  his 
obligations  in  the  line  of  moral  training.  The  question  is  very  narrow. 
The  word  "  pupils  "  indicates  that  it  limits  the  reading  of  Latin  and 
Greek  literature  to  that  pursued  under  the  direction  of  teachers.  The 
Departmental  Session  of  the  Religious  Education  Association,  in  which 
we  are  gathered,  narrows  the  scope  of  the  question  further  and  causes 
it  to  limit  the  reading  to  that  pursued  under  the  direction  of  teachers 
of  secondary  pubUc  schools.  The  view  of  ancient  life  seen  in  the 
literary  works  of  Hesiod,  Pindar,  Sophocles,  Euripides,  Aristophanes, 
Plato,  Aristotle,  and  Demosthenes,  or  of  Plautus,  Terence,  Lucretius, 
Cicero  as  philosopher,  Horace,  the  elegiac  poets,  Tacitus,  Juvenal, 
and  Marcus  Aurelius,  must  be  banished  from  our  minds.  The  range 
of  Latin  and  Greek  literature  read  in  the  secondary  public  schools  is 
small,  and  consequently  its  presentation  of  life  is  limited.  The  amount 
read  in  Greek  consists  of  selections  from  the  Anabasis  or  Hellenica  of 
Xenophon  and  from  the  Iliad  of  Homer,  in  all  about  three  hundred 
pages;  in  Latin-selections  from  Caesar's  Gallic  War  or  Civil  War, 
selections  from  Ovid,  the  Catiline  of  Sallust,  eight  orations  of  Cicero, 
and  six  books  of  Virgil,  in  all  about  four  hundred  pages.  The  ques- 
tion, then,  is,  what  effect  has  the  reading  of  these  seven  hundred  pages  of 
Greek  and  Latin  literature  upon  the  morals  of  the  pupils  ? 

If  the  young  person,  upon  entering  the  high  school,  is  asked  if  murder, 
stealing,  lying,  cruelty,  insolence,  and  disobedience  to  proper  authority 
are  right,  he  will  at  once  answer,  No;  if  he  is  asked  if  love,  honesty, 
truthfulness,  kindness,  respect,  and  obedience  are  right,  he  will  surely 
answer.  Yes.  From  the  very  beginning  the  high  school  teacher  relies 
upon  his  pupil's  knowledge  of  right  and  wrong,  and  confidently  asks  if 
this  is  right  and  that  is  wrong.  He  feels  that,  if  the  pupil  does  the  best 
that  he  knows,  his  conduct  will  be  satisfactory,  both  within  school  and 
without.  The  teacher  recognizes  the  difficulty  of  this  doing  of  the 
best  in  accordance  with  knowledge,  arising  from  indifference,  stubborn- 
ness, and  temptation  to  wrong.     He  desires  to  join  with  whatever  forces 

225 


226  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

there  are  around  the  youth,  it  may  be  with  the  church,  the  home,  and 
companions,  in  endeavoring  to  kindle  the  desire  and  direct  the  will,  so 
that  right  may  be  followed.  The  greatest  power  in  this  direction  is 
the  example,  character,  and  sympathy  of  the  teacher.  This  may  be 
shown  in  all  his  life,  in  set  moral  talks,  but  one  of  the  places  where  it 
most  naturally  appears  is  in  the  study  of  literature.  In  the  poets  and 
the  great  prose  writers,  from  the  gems  of  thought  and  the  lives  of  men, 
can  be  drawn  those  lessons  by  the  believer  in  them  and  the  practiser  of 
them  that  will  render  virtue  most  desirable  and  of  the  greatest  value, 
and  vice  most  despicable  and  of  the  greatest  loss.  If  the  student  is 
often  brought  into  the  thought  of  the  true  and  the  good,  and  if  invita- 
tion to  the  nobler  and  the  better  is  come  and  not  go,  it  is  evident,  if  the 
methods  of  all  the  great  moral  teachers  of  the  ages  are  true,  that  some 
favorable  effect  will  be  produced  upon  his  moral  character.  Can  the 
selected  portions  of  Latin  and  Greek  literature  afford  such  an  oppor- 
tunity to  the  true  teacher?  When,  years  ago,  Latin,  Greek,  and  mathe- 
matics were  the  only  studies  of  the  preparatory  schools,  were  there  not 
teachers  famous  for  the  moral  power  in  their  teaching  ?  And  to-day 
our  teachers  cannot  fail  to  use  for  moral  influence  this  material  which 
is  brought  to  their  hands. 

The  Latin  read  during  the  first  year  consists  of  fables,  the  Viri 
Romffi,  and  a  book  of  Caesar.  The  pupil  enters  the  high  school  with 
a  receptive  mind  and  ready  sympathy.  A  new  world  of  thought  is 
opened  before  him,  all  the  more  eagerly  grasped  at  because  new.  Then 
is  the  time  to  impress  upon  him  the  great  lessons  of  right  modes  of 
thought  and  action,  of  love  of  home,  of  parents,  and  of  country.  The 
fable  is  especially  valuable  along  this  line.  The  work  in  the  Viri  Romae 
takes  the  pupil  farther  in  the  same  direction,  by  creating  in  him  an 
interest  in  the  deeds  and  virtues  of  Rome's  greatest  men.  Devoted 
patriotism,  self-sacrifice  and  bravery,  filial  affection,  courage  m  danger, 
true  friendship,  and  a  high  sense  of  honor  are  illustrated  in  concrete 
form.  These  stories  coming,  down  through  the  ages,  the  young  student 
takes  in  with  his  Latin  verb  and  his  Latin  vocabulary,  and  makes  them 
a  part  of  his  life. 

Next  comes  Caesar.  We  read  three  books  of  his  Commentaries  on 
the  Gallic  War.  I  follow  the  programme  of  my  school,  because  I  know 
what  moral  teaching  is  given  there.  One  of  my  teachers  used  the 
second  and  third  books  with  her  class  to  draw  out  the  qualities  of  a 
great  commander.  The  following  topics  from  the  first  book  show  how 
other  teachers  find  the  opportunity  for  moral  instruction:  In  chapter 
seventeen,   the  duty  of  a   citizen,  —  if  your    companions  are  acting 


CLASSIC  LITERATURE  AND  MORAL  TEACHING         227 

treacherously,  ought  you  to  tell  those  in  authority?  —  in  chapter  nine- 
teen, the  treachery  of  Dumnorix  and  Caesar's  respect  for  the  feelings  of 
Divitiacus;  in  chapter  twenty,  the  motives  that  influence  Divitiacus  to 
plead  for  his  brother;  in  chapter  twenty-two,  the  hasty  and  inaccurate 
observations  of  Considius  that  defeat  Caesar's  plans,  while  Labienus 
obeys  orders  of  Caesar  under  trying  circumstances;  in  chapter  twenty- 
five,  Caesar  sets  his  men  an  example  by  removing  his  own  horse;  in 
chapter  twenty-seven,  ought  the  Helvetians,  after  surrendering,  to  try 
to  escape  by  flight,  because  the  opportunity  seems  good  ? 

We  come  next  to  the  Catiline  of  Sallust.  It  cannot  be  said  that 
here  there  is  no  opportunity  for  moral  instruction,  for  the  work  is  al- 
most a  moral  treatise.  It  deals  with  such  subjects  as  the  powers  of 
man  and  their  proper  use,  the  noble  character  of  the  early  Romans, 
the  introduction  of  luxury  and  vice  into  Rome,  the  causes  of  Roman 
greatness,  and  the  characters  of  Csesar  and  Cato  in  comparison,  the 
character  of  Catiline  and  his  associates,  and  the  great  conspiracy.  The 
introduction  affords  opportunity  for  moral  instruction  upon  its  every 
line,  the  main  part  of  the  work  upon  every  page.  Two  teachers  give 
me  more  than  sixty  places  where  they  have  spontaneously  developed 
moral  lessons.  A  view  of  their  scope  may  be  obtained  by  mentioning 
some  of  these  in  order : 

Exertion  necessary  for  development;  mind  godlike,  everlasting; 
character  dependent  upon  the  active  virtues,  "  labore,  continentia, 
aequitate";  Sallust's  stress  upon  the  activity  of  the  mental  powers  and 
the  subordination  of  the  physical,  which  makes  a  deep  impression  upon 
pupils;  the  powerful  constructive  force  Catiline  could  have  been,  had 
his  tendencies  been  in  the  right  direction;  generous  treatment  of  friends; 
respect  for  age  and  experience;  valor  and  glory  the  ideal;  how  in- 
dividuals and  consequently  states  retrograde;  contrast  in  methods  of 
securing  ends;   causes  of  corruption  of  army;   evils  of  luxurious  living. 

From  the  orations  of  Cicero  against  Catiline  similar  lessons  can  be 
drav^Ti.  But  instead  of  the  moral  criticism  of  Sallust  we  study  the 
burning  words  of  the  leader  of  the  forces  of  government  in  his  endeavor 
to  put  down  rebellion.  The  impassioned  orator  speaks  in  order  to 
accomplish  something;  we  get  the  moral  lessons  at  first  hand.  In  addi- 
tion, we  have  the  works  in  the  surpassing  literary  form  of  one  of  the 
world's  greatest  orators,  and  the  attractiveness  of  the  clothing  adds 
to  the  impressiveness  of  the  lesson.  The  student  cannot  fail  to  consider 
the  real  friends  and  foes  of  one's  country,  the  character  of  the  forces  of 
good  and  of  evil,  the  uses  of  mercy  and  of  justice,  the  power  of  conscience, 
the  interposition  of  divine  providence,  the  eternal  rewards  of  a  noble 


228  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

memory,  and  chiefly  the  duties  of  citizenship  and  the  love  of  coun- 
try. 

In  the  oration  in  behalf  of  Archias,  Cicero  dwells  upon  the  advan- 
tages of  a  liberal  education,  the  value  of  poetry  and  literary  studies, 
the  lessons  found  in  the  lives  of  the  noblest  men  whose  deeds  are  recorded 
in  literature,  and  the  advantage  of  the  employment  of  one's  time  in 
literary  pursuits  rather  than  in  leisure  and  dissipation.  How  easy  is 
the  step  in  this  refining  and  elevating  discussion  of  the  attractiveness  of 
the  intellectual  life  to  pass  to  the  necessity  of  the  high  moral  life  for  the 
completion  of  the  perfect  character! 

Xenophon,  the  follower  of  Socrates,  in  his  lucid  and  picturesque 
narration  of  the  Anabasis,  leaves  no  doubt  of  his  attitude  towards  right 
and  truth.  Among  the  many  passages  that  afford  opportunity  for 
moral  training  none  are  more  suggestive  than  the  masterly  character 
sketches  of  Cyrus,  Proxenus,  and  Men  on.  In  less  than  two  lines  he 
brings  out  the  integrity  of  two  slain  heroes.  "  Neither  did  any  deride 
them  as  being  cowardly  in  war  nor  blame  them  for  faithlessness  in 
friendship."  In  the  fifth  book,  with  what  sarcasm  and  scorn  does 
he  hold  up  the  folly  of  mob  rule  and  the  evils  of  Judge  Lynch;  with 
what  pathos  does  he  set  forth  the  meanness  of  ingratitude.  "  But 
verily  it  is  noble  indeed,  and  just  and  devout,  and  more  pleasing,  to 
make  mention  of  good  acts  rather  than  of  evil." 

We  come  next  to  the  poets.  Here  we  expect  that  the  seers  will 
show  us  the  real.  The  grace  of  poetic  form  is  like  a  precious  case  for 
the  moral  thought.  The  selections  from  Ovid  furnish  rich  gems  from 
the.  storehouse  of  mythological  lore.  It  is  the  golden  age  that  honors 
the  sterling  virtues:  "  Sine  lege  fidem  rectumgue  colebat."  In  the  iron 
age,  when  wickedness  is  rampant,  there  is  no  place  for  them:  "  Fugere 
pudor  verumgue  fidesque."  Deucalion  and  Pyrrha  were  saved  from 
the  flood  for  their  righteousness:  "  Non  illo  melior  quisquam  nee 
amantior  cequi  vir  fuit,  ant  ilia  metnentior  ulla  deoruni."  In  the  words 
of  Apollo  to  Phaethon  is  found  freedom  of  the  wiU  and  responsibility 
in  choosing:  "  Man  the  architect  of  his  own  fortune."  "  Placeat 
sibi  quisque  licebit."  When  a  class  was  asked,  why  the  daughters  of 
the  sun  were  changed  to  trees,  the  answer  was  given  that  too  long  grief 
became  rebeUion  against  the  gods.  Battus  sacrificed  truth  and  fidelity 
for  reward:  "  Posiqua?n  est  merces  geminata."  What  is  that  but  an 
early  instance  of  "  graft."  In  the  description  of  envy  which  is  portrayed 
with  a  master's  hand,  there  is  found  in  the  phrase,  Supplicumque  suum 
est,  the  thought  that  man  is  his  own  worst  enemy,  and  so  virtue  is  its 
own  reward.     Medea  presents  an  instance   where  the  head  is  right  and 


CLASSIC  LITERATURK  AND  MORAL  TEACHING  229 

the  heart  wrong:  "  Video  tneliora  proboque,  deteriora  sequor."  Phile- 
mon and  Baucis  illustrate  frank,  honest  living  within  one's  means: 
"  Paupertatemqiie  fatendo  effecere  lebem  nee  iniqua  mente  ferendo.'"  It 
is  not  necessary  to  say  that  here  is  an  example  of  "  The  Simple  Life." 

The  other  epic  poet  is  Homer.  Scholars  call  him  a  universal  poet. 
Broad  as  humanity,  he  covers  all  stages  of  life,  presented  not  as  criticism, 
but  as  simple,  natural,  real  living.  The  Greeks  regarded  the  Homeric 
writings  as  a  great  religious  book,  and  looked  upon  them  as  authority 
in  argument  and 'practice.  Some  modern  writers  join  Homer  with  the 
Bible  and  Shakespeare  as  the  great  expounders  of  life.  I  claim  with  my 
pupils  that  all  the^drudgery  of  the  study  of  Greek  is  richly  rewarded  in 
the  reading  of  Homer's  Iliad.  From  what  has  been  said  it  is  evident 
how  this  story  of  life  can  be  employed  by  the  teacher  to  have  a  favorable 
effect  upon  moral  character. 

From  the  foregoing  survey  it  is  evident  that  there  is  a  large  field  for 
moral  instruction,  of  which  good  use  is  made  by  the  classical  teachers, 
but  it  is  very  difficult  to  measure  the  direct  effect  of  such  instruction 
upon  the  character  of  the  pupils.  These  effects  must  consist  in  en- 
larging and  strengthening  the  moral  impulses  that  lead  to  nobler, 
stronger  character.  The  test  is  life,  its  opportunities  and  temptations. 
Therefore,  while  the  teacher  may  not  expect  to  see  much  more  than  the 
aroused  interest  and  the  occasional  advance  in  character-building,  he 
will  steadily  continue  his  work,  as  the  gardener,  though  he  does  not 
create,  moves  his  plants  into  the  sunshine,  in  the  behef  that  the  thinking 
of  moral  thoughts,  the  discussion  of  moral  themes,  the  passing  of  moral 
judgments,  and  the  awakening  of  sympathy  with  moral  endeavors  will 
give  strength  to  the  moral  purpose. 


Discussion 


PRINCIPAL  EUGENE  D.  RUSSELL 

LYNN  CLASSICAL  HIGH  SCHOOL,  LYNN,  MASSACHUSETTS 

The  real  subject  is.  Has  the  reading  of  four  books  of  Caesar's 
Gallic  war,  four  books  of  Xenophon's  Anabasis,  and  six  or  seven  of 
Cicero's  orations,  with  a  sprinkling  of  Viri  Romae  and  Nepos  for 
])rose,  and  six  books  of  Virgil's  ^neid,  four  books  of  Homer's  Iliad, 
and  a  few  hundred  lines  of  Ovid's  Metamorphoses  for  poetry,  any 
effect  on  the  morals  of  pupils?  For  this  is  as  close  as  the  average 
secondary  school  comes  to  dealing  with  classical  literature  first-hand. 

It  becomes,  then,  a  question  of  how  far  morals  are  affected  by  the 
story  of  the  campaigns  of  a  Roman  general,  told  with  an  eye   single 


230  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

to  his  own  glory,  with  no  fear  of  reviewers  and  newspaper  correspond- 
ents, and  with  the  omission  of  details  that  might  shock  the  sensibiHties 
of  pagan  civilization — a  story  in  which  btiUdog  tenacity  and  organized 
brute  force  succeed  in  wresting  freedom  and  territorial  independence 
from  Hberty-loving  peoples — a  war  which  might,  if  its  lesson  is  grasped, 
serve  to  justify  the  action  of  England  in  South  Africa  and  Russia  in 
Finland  and  Manchuria.  To  the  youthful  mind,  at  least,  success 
is  the  test  of  right.  One  of  the  first  lessons  an  American  boy  learns 
from  his  country's  history  is  that  a  successful  rebellion  is  a  revolution, 
whose  instigators  are  patriots,  while  an  unsuccessful  revolution  is  a 
rebellion,  whose  instigators  are  traitors.  The  lesson  the  boy  learns, 
then,  from  the  Gallic  war  is,  if  you  are  a  bully,  be  a  bully  till  you 
beat;  if  you  are  not  a  bully,  do  not  resist  a  bully,  for  he  will  beat  you 
if  you  do — a  lesson  not  altogether  elevating. 

Second,  how  are  morals  affected  by  another  personal  narrative  of 
how  ten  thousand  hired  butchers  escaped  being  slaughtered  them- 
selves, through  the  shrewdness  and  caution  of  the  impersonal  narrator  ? 
This  furnishes  a  complete  code  of  ethics  for  marauders  of  the  burglar 
and  tramp  type,  showing  how  it  is  possible,  through  excessive  greed, 
to  get  into  a  very  tight  box,  but  that  through  courage  and  caution  it 
is  possible  to  escape,  where  cowardice  and  rashness  would  be  fatal — 
a  lesson  not  without  practical  value. 

Third,  how  are  morals  affected  by  seven  speeches  of  a  smug,  ego- 
tistical lawyer  and  orator,  in  which  the  right  triumphs  and  the  moral 
teaching  is  obviously  correct,  in  which  with  Cicero  we  admire  Archius 
and  the  power  of  verse,  or  detest  Verres  and  the  depravity  of  provincial 
graft  ?  But  the  moral  teaching  of  the  Catilinarian  orations  is  weakened 
by  the  display  of  sophistry  by  which  the  prosecutor  prevails  upon  the 
senate  to  violate  the  constitutional  rights  of  his  fellow-citizens,  and 
by  the  nauseating  egotism  of  the  self-righteous  orator,  who  leaves  with 
us  the  impression  that  he  was  not  half  the  man  that  the  traitor  Catiline 
was.  These  three  fragments,  with  detached  biographical  scraps  out 
of  their  settings,  constitute  the  prose  of  secondary  school  classic  litera- 
ture. In  poetry,  the  stories  of  the  fall  of  Troy,  the  quarrels  of  the 
Greeks,  ^neas's  wanderings  and  Dido's  undoing,  together  with  a 
few  of  the  least  suggestive  of  Ovid's  Metamorphoses,  complete  the 
anthology.  That  nearly  all  the  separate  episodes  in  all  these  frag- 
ments teach  lessons  of  fortitude,  patience,  and  temperance  is  beyond 
dispute,  but  justice  often  appears  with  a  weighed  balance-beam  in 
the  record  of  real  life,  while  in  poetic  fiction  the  will  of  the  gods  is 
made  the  all-sufficient  excuse  for  any  act  of  meanness  or  ingratitude, 
howeverlbase. 


CLASSIC  LITERATURE  AND  MORAL  TEACHING         231 

But  it  would  indeed  be  surprising  if  books  written  with  no  ethical 
purpose  should  prove  satisfactory  text-books  of  ethics,  or  if  poems 
that  were  consistent  with  a  mythological  pagan  code  of  morals  should 
satisfy  the  demand  of  a  twentieth-century  Christian  civilization.  But 
the  question  calls  for  the  actual  rather  than  possible  effects.  My 
answer  is  brief.  With  a  single  exception  I  have  discovered  no  effect 
on  the  morals.  When  we  consider  the  infinite  pains  pupils  take  to 
make  translations  absolutely  devoid  of  sense  and  the  homoeopathic 
doses  of  the  text  at  rather  long  intervals,  resulting  in  only  a  slight 
comprehension  of  the  connection,  I  doubt  if  the  ethical  effect  of  the 
content  is  a  measurable  quantity. 

The  secondary  school  pupil — and  teacher  too,  for  that  matter — 
is  compelled  by  the  conditions  and  limitations  under  which  he  works 
to  regard  the  text  as  the  vehicle  for  syntax  and  training  in  guessing 
or  inference,  rather  than  as  a  setting  for  ethical  principles.  The  teacher 
who  takes  from  his  scant  time  any  considerable  part  or  frequently 
diverts  the  attention  of  his  pupils  from  the  linguistic  demands  in  order 
to  point  a  moral  is  just  so  far  sacrificing  the  aims  of  classical  study. 

There  is,  however,  one  unfavorable  effect,  very  subtle  and  inevitable, 
which  springs  from  the  study  of  the  mythological  allusions  with  which 
classical  poetry  is  replete.  Examples  of  human  weakness  and  vice 
are  bad  enough  when  described  in  their  coarseness,  repulsiveness,  and 
eventual  bitterness,  but  when  vice  and  lasciviousness  are  deified  and 
made  attractive,  and  when,  with  an  ingenuity  that  is  devilish  and  an 
art  that  is  divine,  stories  of  wantonness  are  told  with  a  beauty,  sug- 
gestiveness,  and  intensity  that  makes  the  blood  of  youth  tingle  and  the 
imagination  run  riot,  then  our  boys  and  girls  are  put  to  a  severe 
moral  test.  The  sins  of  Noah,  Lot,  David,  and  Sampson  are  not  ren- 
dered attractive  in  the  Bible  narrative,  and  the  lesson  they  teach  serves 
as  a  warning,  but  the  detailed  accounts  of  the  amours  of  the  gods  with 
mortals  are  fascinating;  instead  of  being  a  warning  against  it,  they  are 
an  invitation  to  lust,  and  they  magnify  the  carnal  above  the  spiritual. 
For  this  reason  it  seems  to  me  unfortunate  that  our  scheme  of  educa- 
tion opens  this  "  Pandora's  box  "  at  the  most  critical  and  excitable 
period  of  the  youth's  physical  and  emotional  development.  How- 
ever, I  see  no  remedy  for  this  evil  and  have  no  protest  to  make. 

In  conclusion,  as  some  geniuses  can  make  music  on  the  crudest  instru- 
ments, so  the  essayist  could  undoubtedly  make  Mother  Goose  the  basis 
for  ethical  instruction,  but  we  must  admit  that  it  is  the  man  rather 
than  the  matter  that  contributes  to  the  result.  As  compared  with 
English  literature  and  history,  the  ancient  classics  offer  no  advantage 
that  will  warrant  diverting  them  from  their  present  uses  to  texts  on  ethics. 


THE  STUDY  OF  ENGLISH  LITERATURE  AS  A  MEANS  OF 
IMPLANTING  HIGH  MORAL  IDEALS 

MR.  D.  O.  S.  LOWELL 

MASTER  IN  THE  ROXBURY  LATIN  SCHOOL,  ROXBURY,  MASSACHUSETTS 

Not  much  of  English  that  may  be  called  "  literature  "  is  immoral; 
a  larger  portion  is  perhaps  wwmoral,  being  negative  in  its  quality; 
but  most  of  the  English  literature  taught  in  school  or  college,  either 
directly  or  indirectly  makes  for  morality.  Such  are  my  premises; 
if  they  are  admitted,  the  conclusion  is  obvious:  the  study  of  English 
literature  is  a  means  of  implanting  high  moral  ideals. 

But  there  is  more  to  the  topic,  as  I  conceive  it,  than  a  mere  agree- 
ment on  this  fundamental  assertion.  Is  it  a  valuable  means?  What 
sort  of  literature  should  be  taught?  What  method  of  presenting  it  is 
most  effective?  These  are  some  of  the  questions  that  are  suggested 
at  the  outset,  and  to  some  of  these  we  will  give  our  brief  attention. 

Improvement  of  the  body  leads  to  enlightenment,  and  enlighten- 
ment to  further  improvement;  and  the  same  law  holds  in  the  region 
of  the  mind.  It  is  a  universal  experience  that  those  who  eat  of  the 
tree  of  knowledge  begin  to  perceive  their  nakedness  and  make  haste 
to  become  respectable.  The  Philistine  who  learns  to  enjoy  a  page 
of  Ruskin  or  a  poem  of  Wordsworth  finds  that  he  has  entered  a  new 
world;  he  no  longer 

"With  low-thoughted  care 
Confined,  and  pestered  in  this  pinfold  here, 

Strives  to  keep  up  a  frail  and  feverish  being, 
Unmindful  of  the  crown  that  Virtue  gives  " ; 

his  ideals  are  nobler;  his  horizon  is  broader;  his  hopes  are  brighter; 
his  face  is  set  toward  the  east,  and  he  begins  to  love  light  rather  than 
darkness.  At  last  it  may  be  that  the  day-star  shall  arise  in  his  heart 
and  he  shall  come  to  hate  his  evil  deeds. 

Now,  if  the  study  of  English  literature  is  not  only  a  means  but  a 
valuable  means  of  implanting  high  moral  ideals,  a  practical  question 
that  confronts  us  is.  What  authors  shall  we  choose  as  being  best  adapted 
to  this  end? 

Naturally,  no  teacher  or  body  of  teachers  will  select  for  young  minds 
literature  that  is  immoral.  There  is  such  that  may  fairly  be  termed 
literature  and  that  has  been  produced  by  English  writers;  but  we 
need  not  dwell  upon  it.     Some  of  it,  that  is  not  corrupt  at  heart,  may 

232 


THE  STUDY  OF  ENGLISH  LITERATURE  233 

be  pruned,  without  detriment  to  its  force  and  with  distinct  gain  to  its 
beauty  and  its  truth,  until  it  becomes  serviceable.  But  a  great  wealth 
of  material  lies  at  our  hand  that  needs  no  editing.  Of  this  sort,  what 
shall  we  choose  ? 

The  first  qualification  that  a  book  should  possess  is  that  of  interest. 
It  should  be  a  work  that  will  enlist  the  intelligence,  the  sympathies, 
and  the  imagination. 

The  intelligence  needs  to  be  kept  on  the  alert.  There  is  a  subtle 
appeal  to  a  reader  when  a  book  assumes  knowledge  on  his  part  slightly 
in  advance  of  his  acquisition.  It  stimulates  his  pride;  and  if  his 
quickened  thought  does  not  bound  forward  by  intuition  to  conclusions 
hitherto  undreamed  of,  his  curiosity  often  will  be  piqued  so  that  he  will 
explore  the  unknovm  land  and  make  delightful  discoveries. 

The  sympathies  should  be  stirred;  for  we  are  creatures  of  passion, 
or  at  least  we  ought  to  be.  To  be  cold  and  heartless,  to  be  unemo- 
tional and  hopelessly  serene,  is  a  calamity. 

A  third  element  of  interest  is  added  by  an  appeal  to  the  imagination. 
Ideals  are  confessedly  imaginary,  for  the  most  part.  We  aim  at  them 
and  do  not  expect  to  hit  the  white,  yet  are  we  justified  in  our  endeavor  ? 

A  second  qualification  besides  interest,  of  which  I  should  speak, 
is  that  of  style.  This  element  adds  charm  to  what  is  already  inter- 
esting of  itself,  or  creates  an  interest  in  things  otherwise  unattractive. 

Now,  style  is  a  term  which  we  all  understand,  but  which  none  of 
us  can  quite  successfully  define.  One  is  reminded  of  the  small  boy's 
attempted  definition  of  salt:  "It's  what  makes  pertaters  taste  bad 
when  yer  don't  put  none  on  'em  ";  for  literature  without  style  cannot 
satisfy;  it  may  nourish,  but  there  is  danger  that  it  may  also  nauseate. 

Le  style,  c'est  Vhomme,  like  all  epigrams,  must  not  be  pressed  un- 
duly; but  it  is  scarcely  too  much  to  presume  that  the  works  of  an 
author  which  are  in  his  best  style  come  nearest  to  exhibiting  his  ideals 
and  are  the  most  elevating  of  his  product;  and  as  a  corollary  to  this, 
broadly  speaking,  the  better  the  style  the  better  for  our  purposes  is 
the  author. 

Finally,  I  submit  that  in  the  choice  of  literature  for  a  liberal  edu- 
cation, either  in  school  or  college,  a  certain  amount  should  be  chosen 
possessing  positive  virtues;  some  that  is  not  merely  eloquent,  pathetic, 
euphonious,  rhythmical,  and  above  criticism,  but  that  is  also  moral 
and  spiritual;  some  that  is  not  merely  great,  but  ennobling.  Doubt- 
less, if  literature  were  chosen  at  random,  much  of  it  would  be  of  this 
character,  for,  as  I  have  said  before,  the  largest  part  of  our  literature 
has  a  distinctly  moral  tone.     But  I  believe  it  should  be  the  conscious 


234  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

purpose  of  those  who  determine  school  curricula  to  see  that  some  of 
the  literature  read  shall  make  for  righteousness  beyond  a  cavil.  I 
believe  the  importance  of  this  can  scarcely  be  overrated  because  of 
the  impressibility  of  youth. 

We  come  to  our  last  consideration.  What  methods  of  implanting 
moral  ideals  in  the  course  of  our  teaching  are  most  effective  ? 

The  fact  which  we  have  just  established,  that  books  may  implant 
their  own  ideals  without  a  medium,  should  be  a  warning  to  all  who 
are  called  to  teach. 

We  should  never  stand  in  the  way  of  the  author  that  is  being  studied. 
In  a  modern  fable  a  window-blind  is  said  to  have  cried  with  compla- 
cency, "  I  open  the  way  for  the  sun."  We  can  imagine  with  what 
cynic  scorn  a  Diogenes,  sitting  in  the  darkened  room,  would  have  greeted 
this  remark.  When  great  books  are  read  in  class  it  should  be  with 
a  minimum  of  comment.  The  teacher  may  interpret  important  pas- 
sages by  a  sympathetic  rendering,  where  subtle  inflection,  skilfull 
accent,  and  clear  enunciation  may  serve  to  rivet  the  attention  to  some 
significant  thought  that  might  otherwise  be  unnoticed;  but  he  should 
beware  lest  he  darken  counsel  by  words  without  knowledge,  or  dilute 
virile  truth  with  weak  remark.  All  supererogatory  effort  at  gilding 
gold  and  adding  an  exoteric  odor  to  fragrant  flowers  is  more  to  be  de- 
plored than  even  a  loud-voiced  "  mastery  of  the  obvious." 

There  is  a  possible  danger,  however,  to  be  avoided.  If  we  do  not 
need  constantly  to  explain,  we  need  frequently  to  ask,  Understandest 
thou  what  thou  readest  ?  and  often  unexpectedly  it  will  be  found  that 
some  one  does  not,  except  some  other — teacher,  or  preferably  pupil — 
shall  guide  him. 

A  somewhat  varied  experience  has  convinced  me  that  truths  which 
pupils  can  be  induced  to  discover  for  themselves  enter  into  their  moral 
consciousness  in  a  way  which  they  will  not  when  they  are  extracted, 
clarified,  condensed,  and  seasoned  by  the  professional  instructor,  and 
then  stuffed  into  receptive  but  unassimilating  brains.  Therefore  I 
suggest  that  one  of  the  methods  useful  in  implanting  high  moral  ideals 
of  any  sort  is  to  let  the  pupil  do  a  good  deal  of  the  planting  himself — 
under  guidance. 

I  have  already  intimated  that  good  reading  on  the  part  of  the  in- 
structor is  a  most  etflcacious  means  of  fixing  the  attention  of  a  class 
upon  a  noble  thought.     In  this  way  such  passages  as — 

"  Breathes  there  a  man  with  soul  so  dead 

Who  never  to  himself  has  said, 
'This  is  my  own,  my  native  land! '  " 


THE  STUDY  OF  ENGLISH  LITERATURE  235 

"It  did  depend  on  one,  indeed; 

Behold  himi — Arnold  Winkelried!" 

"They  conquered  —  but  Bozzaris  fell, 
Bleeding  at  every  vein!  " 

"Forever  float  that  standard  sheet! 

Where  breathes  the  foe  but  falls  before  us! 
With  Freedom's  soil  beneath  our  feet, 

And  Freedom's  banner  streaming  o'er  us!" 

Such  passages  as  these  will  make  a  brave  boy's  heart  beat  higher,  and 
sow  within  it  the  undying  seeds  of  patriotism.  A  simple  reading  of, 
or  an  apt  quotation  from,  that  great  elegy  which  Wolfe  professed  he 
would  rather  have  written  than  to  be  the  captor  of  Quebec;  or  an 
introduction  to  Lincoln's  especial  favorite, 

"  Oh  why  should  the  spirit  of  mortal  be  proud  ?  " 
will  serve  without  explanation,  to  show  that  life  is  short,  and  that  they 
who  design  to  labor  must  labor  while  it  is  day.  Portia's  exquisite 
plea  for  mercy,  and  her  description  of  earthly  power  when  it  seems 
likest  God's  should  be  learned  by  heart  and  left  like  a  good  seed  to 
germinate;  and  the  same  may  be  said  of  many  another  passage  by 
the  great  masters.  Let  them  first  be  studied  in  the  context  that  their 
full  force  may  be  felt,  then  committed  to  memory  and  stored  like  a 
precious  jewel  in  the  head. 

Let  me  briefly  summarize.  I  have  assumed  that  the  study  of  Eng- 
lish literature  is  a  means  of  implanting  high  moral  ideals.  Next  I 
have  endeavored  to  show  that  it  is  a  valuable  means.  I  have  examined 
the  sort  of  literature  required  to  further  this  object,  and  find  it  may  be 
discussed  under  four  heads:  that  which  is  not  immoral;  that  which 
possesses  interest,  appealing  to  the  intelligence,  the  sympathies,  and 
the  imagination;  that  which  has  style;  and  that  which  directly  incul- 
cates moral  and  spiritual  truths.  I  have  expressed  my  conviction  of 
the  supreme  importance  of  implanting  moral  ideals  during  the  periods 
of  childhood  and  adolescence.  And  lastly  I  have  come  to  discuss, 
from  a  somewhat  personal  standpoint,  what  seems  to  be  the  most 
effectual  means  of  accomplishing  this  purpose.  I  have  stated  some 
things  that  I  believe  the  teacher  should  not  do,  and  also  a  few  means 
that  it  would  be  helpful  to  employ.  I  come,  in  closing,  to  what  I  shall 
maintain  is  the  teacher's  principal  function. 

You  look  into  the  face  of  a  mirror,  and  an  image  is  before  you — 
more  truthful,  if  less  flattering,  than  that  which  the  photographer  pro- 
duces. You  pass  on,  and  another  comes  and  looks  into  the  same  mirror; 
but  it  tells  no  tales  of  you,  revives  no  recollection.     A  thousand  per- 


236  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

sons  pass  before  the  glass,  and  when  the  day  is  done,  it  is  just  as  bril- 
liant and  just  as  vacant  as  when  it  made  its  first  reflection.  Do  we 
desire  a  Hkeness  that  shall  endure.  Science  must  come  to  our  aid  with 
its  camera  and  its  chemicals;  the  image  must  be  caught  upon  a  sen- 
sitized plate  of  film  and  then  fixed  so  it  shall  not  fade. 

In  like  manner  the  teacher  may  hold  up  a  truth  before  an  untrained 
pupil.  It  may  be  beautiful  and  inspiring,  as  reflected  in  the  mirror  of 
the  pupil's  mind.  He  may  understand  it,  assent  to  it,  even  enjoy  it; 
but  he  may  also  forget  it  as  he  looks  upon  the  next  picture.  To  pre- 
vent such  loss,  it  becomes  the  teacher's  function  to  see  that  his  pupil's 
mind  is  not  a  mere  mirror  from  whose  polished  surface  glide  these 
bright  images  in  swift  succession,  but  a  sensitized  plate  on  which  truths 
may  be  photographed  and  fixed. 

Rhythm,  melody,  harmony,  choice  of  words,  beauty  of  thought, 
felicity  of  expression,  taste,  style,  proportion,  emphasis,  unity,  ease, 
force,  climax,  simile,  metaphor  and  alHed  tropes,  wit,  humor,  pathos, 
suggestion,  argument,  exposition,  narration,  description,  these  are 
some  of  the  chemicals  with  which  the  English  teacher  works.  With 
these  he  produces  the  sensitive  mind-plate  according  to  his  ability. 
When  all  is  ready,  he  exposes  an  object  in  the  shape  of  a  poem,  a  novel, 
a  play,  an  essay,  an  oration,  or  an  epigram.  A  picture  is  the  result, 
to  be  fixed  and  developed  by  comparison,  analysis,  or  some  of  the 
minor  devices  to  which  I  have  referred. 

But  there  are  pictures  and  pictures;  and  just  here  is  where  the 
teacher  needs  to  be  an  artist.  In  the  photographic  studio  it  is  not 
enough  to  have  a  favorable  light,  expensive  lenses,  and  the  latest  ar- 
rangement of  shutters  and  slides.  It  is  not  enough  to  have  fair  women 
and  brave  men  before  the  camera.  It  is  not  enough  to  have  a  perfect 
plate,  ready  to  respond  to  the  faintest  ray  of  Hght:  there  must  also 
be  a  skilled  operator,  who  shall  moderate  the  glare,  arrange  the  shadows, 
measure  the  distance,  adjust  the  instrument,  calculate  the  exposure, 
pose  the  sitters,  engage  the  attention,  and  at  the  psychologico-photo- 
graphic  moment  spring  the  shutter. 

In  like  fashion  the  artist-teacher  deals  with  his  carefully  sensitized 
pupil  as  he  prepares  to  take  a  picture  worth  developing.  Deftly  he 
arranges  each  detail  and  improves  every  condition;  then  he  unveils 
before  him  some  image  of  truth  and  beauty  wrought  by  skillful  hands 
and  eagerly  awaits  the  result.  If  he  succeeds,  he  knows  it  without 
troublesome  delay.  He  glances  swiftly  about  his  class,  detecting  here 
and  there  a  pupil  who  responds,  "  his  rapt  soul  sitting  in  his  eyes  "; 
and  the  instructor  glows  with  the  consciousness  that  his  labors  have 
not  been  in  vain. 


THE  STUDY  OF  ENGLISH  LITERATURE  237 

Discussion 

MR.  A.  J.  GEORGE 

MASTER  IN  THE  NEWTON  HIGH  SCHOOL,  NEWTON,    MASSACHUSETTS 

What  is  literature?  Not  mere  writing,  but  writing  which  has  reve- 
lation, —  revelation  not  of  the  facts  (that  belongs  to  science),  but  of 
truths,  the  purpose  of  which  is  to  inspire.  Hence,  it  follows  that  the 
element  of  time  is  a  necessary  factor  in  determining  what  is  literature. 
"  A  classic  is  that  type  of  writing  which  has  enriched  the  human  mind, 
increased  its  treasures,  and  caused  it  to  advance  a  step;  it  has  revealed 
some  moral  truth,  some  eternal  passion."  "  Around  this,"  says  Words- 
worth, "  with  tendrils  as  strong  as  flesh  and  blood,  our  pastime  and  our 
happiness  will  grow."  To  cultivate  pastime  and  happiness  is  the  main 
business  of  every  exercise  in  the  English  class  room. 

The  reason  why  literature  is  such  a  power  is  that  it  is  permanent 
in  its  interest.  Literature  is  neither  ancient  nor  modern,  but  is  as  uni- 
versal as  the  heart  of  man,  and  the  heart  of  man  aspires  in  three  direc- 
tions —  in  feeling,  in  thought,  and  in  action.  This  is  seen  in  the  lyric,  or 
song,  which  is  full  of  emotion,  noble  as  contrasted  with  ignoble,  revealed 
by  a  singer;  in  the  epic,  full  of  thought  and  motion,  revealed  by  a  nar- 
rator; in  the  dramatic,  full  of  action,  thought,  and  emotion,  revealed 
by  men  and  women  seen  in  typical  situations. 

Through  literature,  truth  is  revealed  in  forms  of  beauty,  compelling 
wonder,  love,  and  admiration.  "  We  live  by  admiration,  hope,  and 
love."  Look  at  the  heights  of  our  own  peerless  English  literature  — 
from  Chaucer  to  Arnold.  They  reveal  the  history  of  the  race;  each 
height  shows  that  period  when  the  people  were  moved  to  aspire,  when 
the  poets,  the  gleemen,  and  minstrels  voiced  these  aspirations.  Brown- 
ing, in  the  "  Grammarian's  Funeral,"  reveals  one  of  these,  when  he 
says,  "Leave  now  for  dogs  and  apes,  man  has  forever." 

Do  you  believe  that  students  who  catch  the  inspiration  of  such  teach- 
ers can  remain  unmoved  ?  I  know  they  cannot.  Every  man  is  judged 
by  his  ideas  of  conduct  on  the  one  hand,  and  of  beauty  on  the  other, 
and  the  source  of  such  ideas  in  men  and  nations  is  the  world's  revela- 
tion in  its  literature.  It  everywhere  teaches  us  what  to  love  and  what 
to  hate,  whom  to  honor  and  whom  to  despise.  Its  word  is  not  knowl- 
edge, but  power;  its  purpose,  not  that  man  should  know  more,  but  thait 
he  should  be  better.  Hence,  its  business  is  not  with  things,  and  their 
laws,  but  with  persons  and  their  thoughts.  We  must  not  read  for  knowl- 
edge, for  specialized  learning,  but  for  life;  our  business  is  to  create 
readers, —  readers  of  this  great  movement  of  the  human  soul  to  its  high- 
est realm  of  thought  and  action. 


238  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

Thus  it  is  evident  that  there  may  be  a  method  of  dealing  with  this 
literature,  which  is  akin  to  immorality.  When  attention  of  the  pupil 
is  directed  to  those  elements  which  in  themselves  have  no  vitality  be- 
cause they  are  devoid  of  any  power  to  inspire,  interest  dies,  and  with  the 
death  of  interest  comes  the  dislike  of  the  subject.  Such  a  result  is 
immoral. 

It  follows  thus  that  literature  is  but  one  of  the  forms  of  art  through 
which  man's  aspiration,  his  ideals,  are  revealed.  The  soul  of  man 
takes  the  hues  of  that  which  environs  it.  It  is  literature  which  in- 
spires; not  linguistics,  rhetoric,  and  grammar,  valuable  as  these 
may  be  for  other  purposes.  It  is  subtle,  and  mysterious  in  its  power, 
and  it  is  our  business  as  teachers  to  create  a  nation  of  readers,  not 
a  special  class  of  learned  commentators.  We  know  that  literature 
will  form  the  child,  sustain  the  youth,  and  console  age,  and  its  history 
is  its  record  of  power  in  this  direction,  from  the  psalms  of  David  to  the 
songs  of  Burns,  from  Job  to  Tennyson.  Witness  the  tributes  of  Darwin 
and  Mill  to  the  power  of  imaginative  literature;  these  men  mourned 
the  fact  that  other  things  deprived  them  of  that  great  power  of  culture 
of  the  feelings  which  the  love  of  literature  brought.  Barrie  has  said  that 
a  young  man  may  be  better  employed  than  in  going  to  college;  but  when 
there,  he  is  unfortunate  if  he  does  not  meet  some  one  who  sends  his  life 
ofif  at  a  new  angle.  "  One  such  professor,"  says  he,  "  is  the  most  any 
university  may  hope  for  in  a  single  generation."  He  says,  "  When  you 
looked  into  my  mother's  eyes,  you  knew  why  it  was  that  God  sent  her 
into  the  world;  it  was  to  open  the  eyes  of  all  who  looked  to  beautiful 
thoughts,  and  that  is  the  beginning  and  end  of  literature."  After  having 
opened  the  eyes  of  people  to  beautiful  thoughts,  we  must  be  willing  to 
wait,  for  moral  results  do  not  come  immediately.  Read  our  great  liter- 
ature in  such  a  way  that  the  class  feels  the  enthusiasm,  nobility,  and 
the  naturalness  of  the  men  and  women  revealed,  and  then  we  shall 
never  have  to  ask  the  question,  "  Is  there  any  moral  result  from  the 
study  of  literature  ?" 


THE  AIMS  AND  PROCESSES  OF  MORAL  DEVELOPMENT 
FRANK  H.  ROBSON 

HEAD  MASTER   BANCROFT  SCHOOL,   WORCESTER,  MASSACHUSETTS 

To  train  a  man  in  the  science  of  numbers,  and  not  to  teach  him  that 
he  is  not  to  make  false  combinations;  to  train  him  in  the  art  of  writing, 
and  not  to  teach  him  that  he  is  not  to  forge  his  employer's  name;  to 
train  him  in  the  secrets  of  chemistry;  and  not  to  train  him  to  respect  his 
hidden  and  mysterious  power  over  the  life  and  welfare  of  his  fellows; 
to  give  intellectual  judgment  only,  and  not  to  train  moral  judgment, — 
would  be  an  abomination  and  a  curse  to  the  world. 

Mentality  unleavened  by  the  preserving  power  of  morahty,  or  un- 
touched by  the  inspiration  of  religion,  opens  the  door  wide  to  the  flood 
of  materialism,  immorality,  and  crime. 

Generally  speaking,  the  child  has  three  periods  of  growth  —  infancy, 
childhood,  and  adolescence.  The  home  must  bear  the  responsibilities 
of  the  first  period,  but  the  school  must  prepare  itself  in  spirit  and  equip- 
ment for  a  share  of  the  training  of  the  second,  the  so-called  period  of 
childhood. 

What,  then,  is  this  creature  of  five  to  seven  years  of  age  as  he  is  usually 
turned  into  school  life?  Can  we  make  of  him  what  we  will?  What 
elements  assist  and  what  influences  hinder  us  in  our  labors  ? 

Taking  childhood  to  begin  with  the  dawn  of  conscious  power,  the 
child  in  this  period  runs  through  all  the  phases  of  individualism,  a  crea- 
ture of  instincts,  with  no  moral  or  immoral  quality  at  the  beginning, 
seeking  self-expression  in  all  things. 

This  individualism  stands  psychologically  at  the  basis  of  such  home 
and  school  complaints  as  stubbornness,  selfishness,  impertinence,  quar- 
relsomeness, and  disobedience.  This  is  the  law  of  the  survival  of  the 
fittest;  morality  of  action  is  excluded;  the  animal  instincts  are  seek- 
ing expression  and  gratification.  This  is  one  of  nature's  efforts  to  break 
the  shackles  of  the  past,  to  make  an  advance  upon  heredity,  to  open 
new  fields,  to  function  new-brain  centers,  and  unconsciously  to  extend 
individual  development  along  the  line  of  evolutionary  possibilities. 
Manifold  stimuli  effect  a  development  of  the  child,  regardless  of  moral 
content  as  viewed  by  adults,  and  gradually  the  functioning  of  the  organs 
is  accomplished.  The  child  learns  the  corresponding  values  which 
adults  attach  to  varying  actions  and  states  only  by  the  effects  produced 
upon  others  which  are  directly  or  indirectly  reflected  upon  himself  in 

239 


240  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

pleasure  of  approval  or  pain  of  disapproval  and  punishment.  Thus 
repeating  those  actions  which  bring  pleasure  and  satisfaction  and 
avoiding  those  which  bring  pain  and  disapproval,  tendencies  become 
established  and  laws  are  gradually  outlined  in  the  nervous  system. 

John  Fiske's  law  of  the  prolonged  state  of  infancy  of  the  human  race 
has  many  moral  as  well  as  physical  and  mental  correlations.  The 
child  is  long  dependent  in  body,  mind,  and  moral  standards.  His  vo- 
litional equipment  is  very  meager.  He  does  not  know  what  is  right. 
His  capacity  for  discrimination  is  exceedingly  small,  and  when  he  ap- 
parently exercises  such  precocious  discriminating  intelligence,  it  is  rather 
an  imitated  state  of  mind,  and  not  a  developed  functional  capacity. 

In  the  light  of  these  prominent  traits,  what  is  the  point  of  attack  in 
these  earlier  years  ?  and  how  can  we  develop  effective  character  without 
a  direct  and  disastrous  conflict  of  will,  destructive  to  strength,  or  a 
weakening  of  the  imagination,  fatal  to  future  growth  and  initiative,  and 
bring  about  a  willing  submission  to  law,  parental,  scholastic,  and  civil, 
an  appreciation  of  the  pure  and  the  right  in  moral  relations,  and  effect 
a  real  character,  symbolized  in  the  word  '  self-control '  ? 

Imitation  is  the  dominant  faculty  of  the  young.  It  is  the  school  of 
the  animal  world.  It  is  the  process  by  which  the  experience  of  the  past 
and  the  practice  of  the  present  may  be  brought  within  the  absorptive 
radius  of  the  child.  Mentally,  childhood  is  the  period  of  memory  power 
of  the  reproduction  of  previous  states.  Likewise  in  the  moral  world, 
it  is  the  period  of  reproduction  and  imitation;  and  the  environment 
supplied  by  teachers,  parents,  and  playmates  supphes  the  concrete 
forms  of  speech  and  action  to  be  imitated.  Not  being  able  to  reason 
correctly  and  to  discriminate  moral  values  in  the  adult  sense,  there  is 
great  danger  in  unselected  environment.  Potency  of  action  in  the  child 
is  as  liable  to  discharge  itself  in  imitating  a  bad  environment  as  a  good 
one. 

Inasmuch  as  a  child  cannot  select  from  its  environment  suitable 
details  for  imitation,  and  has  no  personal  standards  of  action,  obedience 
to  some  authority  becomes  a  necessity.  Through  imitation  of  a  selected 
environment,  aided  by  the  exercise  of  a  wise  authority,  there  is  repro- 
duced in  the  child  life  a  series  of  activities,  and  through  them  there  is 
developed  the  germ  of  a  personal  consciousness  of  truly  moral  conduct. 
By  using  the  highest  motive  which  is  effective,  by  inducing  a  pleasurable 
mental  state  by  the  effects  of  emulation  and  appreciation,  proper  lines 
of  work  become  chosen  more  and  more  consciously,  and  the  habit  of 
right  performance  becomes  established. 

Right  habits  at  the  direction  of  another  are  good  but  they  are  not 


PROCESSES  OF  MORAL  DEVELOPMENT  241 

moral.  Hence  the  parent  or  teacher  must  gradually  withdraw  his  in- 
fluence or  authority  and  give  the  child  the  privilege  of  choice.  Blind 
obedience  is  only  for  the  undeveloped  child;  arrested  moral  growth  must 
surely  follow  if  the  ability  to  decide  personal  questions  is  present  and 
the  opportunity  is  not  afforded.  As  the  powers  increase,  the  opportu- 
nities of  choice  must  increase  also.  As  nature  teaches  by  punishing  the 
violator  of  her  laws,  so  through  making  mistakes  and  suffering  the  pen- 
alty therefrom  the  individual  develops  the  capacity  of  choice  and  wise 
direction  of  his  own  affairs.  The  true  test  of  the  effectiveness  of  the 
training  in  obedience,  in  the  establishment  of  right  habits,  and  the  power 
of  a  moral  choice,  is  the  growing  conscious  intention  of  the  child. 

One  of  the  common  causes  of  difficulty  in  moral  training  springs 
from  the  fact  that  the  child  needs  interpretation  as  well  as  guidance. 
Physically,  the  automatic  ganglion  centers  are  developed  first,  then  those 
of  the  main  muscular  movements,  then  the  centers  affecting  sensation, 
and  finally  the  ganglion  centers  controlling  thought  and  will.  Physical 
and  mental  processes  are  so  definitely  connected,  that  they  follow  in 
logical  order;  that  the  proper  functioning  of  one  stage  depends  upon  a 
vigorous  development  of  each  preceding  stage;  that  abnormal  develop- 
ment of  later  stages,  known  as  precocity,  destroys  later  vitaUty,  and  un- 
due emphasis  upon  a  lower  process  prolongs  elementary  stages,  and 
thus  produces  "  arrested  development." 

The  only  logical  order  of  moral  training  is  to  be  found  in  a  true  genetic 
development  of  moral  capacities.  Undoubtedly,  in  a  large  and  untech- 
nical  way  the  successive  evolutionary  moral  states  of  the  race  are  repro- 
duced in  the  individual,  but  specifically  the  moral  basis  is  to  be  found  in 
the  parallel  development  of  his  nervous  and  mental  systems.  Hence 
the  necessity  for  wise  interpretation  on  the  part  of  parents  and  teachers. 
Fatigue,  illness,  hunger,  depressed  nervous  vitaHty,  physical  suffering, 
may  easily  make  normal  mental  action  almost  impossible  for  the  child, 
and  additional  pressure,  either  personal  or  disciplinary,  is  not  only 
blindly  stupid,  but  is  criminal.  Wliat  the  child  needs  is,  not  the  mental, 
moral,  or  physical  rod,  but  food,  sleep,  medicine,  sympathy  and  love, 
and  restful  words.  Ignorance,  inability,  and  fear  are  frequently  wrongly 
interpreted  as  unwillingness  and  opposition. 

But  the  largest  opportunity  for  the  teacher  is  in  the  guidance  of  these 
changing  conditions.  Remembering  that  vigorous  functioning  of  ele- 
mentary powers  is  necessary  to  later  growth,  we  must  beware  how  we 
limit  later  possibilities  by  attempts  at  repressing  and  destroying  certain 
normal  expressions  of  child  life.  Expect  the  child  to  be  individualistic, 
to  be  selfish,  to  relate  everything  to  himself,  to  be  proud  of  his  home. 


242  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

his  father,  and  his  big  brother.  Many  things  that  would  appear  ego- 
tistic and  selfish  in  a  man  or  youth  who  has  had  opportunity  to  learn 
altruism  and  self-control  appear  normal  in  a  child.  The  frank  acknowl- 
edgement of  personal  pride,  combativeness,  and  open  self -approbation, 
tend  to  establish  an  individuality  and  a  confidence  which  show  later  in 
the  man  of  executive  vigor  and  personal  initiation.  Do  not  destroy 
these  qualities  or  impede  their  vigorous  functioning.  They  are  the  most 
hopeful  signs  of  future  success.  Repress  and  destroy  them,  and  you  have 
the  timid  goody-goody,  who  sits  with  folded  hands  and  blushing  cheek, 
afraid  to  call  his  soul  his  own,  and  always  waiting  as  a  child  and  adult 
to  do  another's  bidding. 

A  strong  individuality  is  the  true  starting-point;  temper  it  gradually, 
show  the  beauty  and  joy  of  helping  others,  punish  conscious  wrong, 
teach  justice,  mercy,  and  forgiveness,  let  the  playground  fully  show  the 
danger  of  infringing  on  the  rights  of  others,  but  let  not  the  teacher  antici- 
pate or  infringe  upon  nature's  laws.  This  is  effective  training  of  the 
will  —  this  formation  of  the  habit  of  right  and  vigorous  performance 
after  the  emotions  have  been  brought  before  the  bar  of  the  intellect  and 
found  worthy. 

If  Schopenhauer  is  right  in  saying  that  we  are  two  thirds  will  and 
one  third  intellect,  then  the  end  of  education  is  not  knowledge,  but 
character.  The  end  of  discipline  is,  not  to  preserve  order,  but  to 
develop  independent  men  and  women,  and  the  test  of  any  training  is 
the  increment  of  character  gradually  given.  Development  and 
discipline  thus  assume  their  proper  places.  Development  is  positive, 
discipline  is  negative;  development  is  progressive,  discipline  is  repres- 
sive; the  more  you  have  of  the  one,  the  less  you  need  of  the  other;  the 
more  completely  the  normal  needs  of  the  growing  child  and  youth  are 
supplied,  the  less  need  will  there  be  for  repressive  discipline.  The 
more  you  fill  the  mind  with  high  ideals  and  right  performance,  the  less 
need  will  there  be  to  fight  against  low  practices;  the  more  moral  ozone 
you  can  infuse  into  the  air,  the  less  you  will  need  to  fight  the  germs 
of  bad  conduct. 

I  must  hasten  to  say  a  few  closing  words  about  the  means  of  moral 
training  ready  at  the  hand  of  the  teacher.  If  we  remember  that  in  pri- 
mary stages  we  are  to  develop  clear  conceptions;  in  grammar  stages, 
rules  of  conduct  and  clear  moral  concepts;  and  in  adolescence,  altruism 
and  social  and  spiritual  relations  and  obligations, — the  whole  school  life 
becomes  luminous  with  opportunity  to  the  inventive  teacher.  The 
proper  and  necessary  punctuality,  regularity,  courtesy,  and  quick  obe- 
dience of  school  routine  form  a  basis  for  training  moral  habits.     Com- 


PROCESSES  OF  MORAL  DEVELOPMENT  243 

pelled  labor  after  imperfect  work,  the  results  of  failure,  school  punish- 
ments, and  public  opinion  stimulate  a  proper  exercise  of  personal  effort. 
Social  obligations,  the  yielding  of  the  selfish  interest,  class  and  school 
organizations  and  interests  open  wide  the  door  to  altruism.  Honors, 
influence,  personal  pride,  and  leadership  may,  under  wise  suggestion, 
hold  out  alluring  arms  of  invitation. 

In  the  curriculum,  the  study  of  literature,  expressing  the  struggles, 
hopes,  ambitions,  and  developing  sentiments  of  the  race,  furnishes  a 
never  empty  spring  of  moral  inspiration.  The  moral  tales  of  fable  and 
Biblical  lore,  with  their  definite  pictures  exercising  and  cultivating  the 
imagination,  drawn  from  the  childhood  of  the  race,  and  expressing  the 
fundamental  virtues  of  kindness,  obedience,  filial  and  parental  love, 
supply  both  mental  and  moral  sustenance  for  the  younger  children. 
The  natural  appreciation  of  the  good  and  great  men  and  women  of  polit- 
ical history,  of  commerce  and  science,  of  literature  and  music,  their 
manners,  habits,  their  successes  and  failures,  with  their  mixture  of  theo- 
retical and  practical  standards,  related  to  actual  personal  needs,  may 
well  be  used  with  inspiring  and  vitalizing  force  in  the  later  grades;  while 
to  the  budding  soul  of  adolescence,  living  again  the  hopes,  ambitions, 
and  sentiments  of  the  race,  when  the  conflicting  obligations  of  self-de- 
velopment and  altruism  are  presented  with  alluring  attractiveness,  when 
emotions  are  struggling  for  interpretation  and  utterance,  the  varying 
fields  of  the  world's  literature  interpret  anew  the  inner  life,  presenting 
to  the  intellect  and  the  imagination  complete  pictures  of  the  world's 
idealism  and  sober  facts. 

History,  with  its  examples  of  heroism,  patriotism,  and  devotion,  with 
its  pictures  of  base,  selfish,  and  traitorous  lives,  constantly  demands  a 
weighing  of  moral  values,  and  shows  the  permanence  of  truth,  goodness, 
and  moral  worth  in  aiding  the  progress  of  the  individual  and  the 
race. 

Science,  with  its  unending  search  after  truth,  with  its  conformity  to 
known  law,  its  emphasis  of  necessary  cause  and  effect,  its  accuracy  of 
thought  and  statement,  induces  not  only  a  search  for  truth,  but  a  con- 
scious belief  in  its  necessity  in  all  the  relations  of  life. 

Manual  training,  emphasizing  the  dignity  of  labor,  the  value  of 
personal  effort,  the  consciousness  of  creative  powers  and  constructive 
capacity;  gymnastics,  bringing  the  physical  system  into  conscious 
sympathy  and  alliance  with  the  mental  nature;  school  gardens,  bring- 
ing the  children  back  to  the  heart  of  Mother  Nature;  music,  touching 
the  deepest  springs  of  emotion  and  offering  most  delicate  forms  of 
expression;  school  games,  inducing  self-control  and  the  necessity  both 


244  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

of  proper  initiative  and  subordination, —  all  have  a  large  value  in 
moral  development. 

There  is  still  a  large  field  for  the  direct  and  formal  presentation  of 
moral  standards,  based  upon  the  age  and  development  of  the  pupils. 
The  opening  exercises  of  the  school  may  well  seize  upon  some  present 
interest  and  illuminate  it  for  the  day  and  days  to  come.  At  proper 
crucial  periods  of  school  life,  the  round  of  common  duties  and 
fundamental  virtues  may  be  set  forth.  Under  the  influence  of  days 
devoted  to  great  men  and  historical  events,  the  possibilities  of  man- 
hood, and  of  lives  devoted  to  humanity,  country,  and  God,  may  well 
be  exalted. 

France  has  developed  a  complete  system  of  formal  instruction  in 
morals  and  practical  ethics,  winning  a  grand  prize  at  the  Exposition 
of  1900.  Her  effort  has  been  to  shift  her  entire  national  education 
from  a  Catholic  to  an  ethical  basis.  She  has  divided  her  scholars  into 
an  infant  section  from  5  to  7  years;  a  primary  section  from  7  to  9  years; 
an  intermediate  section  from  9  to  11  years;  and  a  junior  section  from 
II  to  13  years,  with  definite  instruction  in  ethics  adapted  to  the  child 
in  the  family,  the  school,  the  country,  and  his  relation  to  himself  and 
to  his  God. 

Plato  was  right  when  he  taught  that  the  problem  of  education  cen- 
tered in  ethics.  The  greatest  teachers  have  been  men  of  profound 
moral  natures.  Their  personality  has  been  their  greatest  possession; 
by  it  they  have  been  able  not  only  to  quicken  mental  power,  but  to  give 
a  mighty  spiritual  upHft.  Emerson's  saying,  "  It  makes  very  little 
difference  what  you  study,  but  it  is  in  the  highest  degree  important 
with  whom  you  study,"  means  that,  after  all,  education  is  a  spiritual 
process;  that  the  mysterious  influence  of  one  nature  on  another  is  its 
major  factor;  and  that  the  atmosphere  surrounding  the  work  is  in 
the  highest  degree  important.  Text-books  may  supply  the  matter  of 
knowledge  and  of  ethics,  but  the  teacher  supplies  the  electric  spark, 
without  which  all  is  a  lifeless  mass. 


VII.    ELEMENTARY  PUBLIC  SCHOOLS 


THE  FOUNDATIONS  OF  RELIGION  AND  MORALITY 

How  Far,  and  How,  Can  the  Foundations  of  Religion  be 

Laid  in  the  Common  Schools? 

PROFESSOR  EDWIN  D,  STARBUCK,  Ph.D. 

EARLHAM  COLLEGE,  RICHMOND,  INDIANA 

The  controversy  has  grown  acute,  in  a  few  of  the  states  and  in 
many  communities,  over  the  teaching  of  religion  in  the  common  schools. 
There  is  no  Httle  anxiety  among  the  friends  of  religious  education,  be- 
cause the  law  seems  to  be  stepping  between  religion  and  the  children. 
I  do  not  believe  the  anxiety  is  wellfounded.  While  I  should  be  the 
last  to  advocate  the  enactment  of  any  measure  that  would  limit  the 
utmost  freedom  of  teachers,  it  seems  to  me  that  the  reaction  against 
so-called  religious  instruction  is  a  fortunate  thing  if  only  it  disturbs  us 
into  an  appreciation  of  some  of  the  more  fundamental  considerations 
involved  in  the  situation. 

Whether  the  statement  is  true  or  false,  I  am  going  to  assume,  for 
the  sake  of  having  the  point  at  issue  clearly  before  our  minds,  that 
such  a  law  exists,  and  is  general  in  its  appHcation,  by  which  the  Bible 
and  "  religious  "  teaching  of  any  kind  are  entirely  excluded  from  the 
schools;  and  then  ask  to  what  extent  the  freedom  of  any  devout  teacher 
need  be  hampered  in  promoting  the  spiritual  development  of  her  pupils. 
How  far  could  she,  without  hedging,  or  working  in  any  surreptitious 
way,  awaken  in  her  pupils  the  spirit  of  religion  ?  My  own  conviction 
is  that  she  could  keep  the  spirit  and  the  letter  of  the  law,  if  she  is  wise 
in  mind  and  heart,  and  still  not  find  her  deepest  purposes  materially 
curtailed.  Without  formal  religious  instruction,  what  could  be  done 
in  the  schools  to  arouse  the  religious  impulses  and  develop  the  reli- 
gious life  ?  I  would  suggest  a  revision  along  at  least  four  lines,  one  of 
which  has  reference  to  the  teacher,  the  second  to  her  methods  and  to 
the  curriculum,  the  third  to  our  ideals  about  religion,  and  the  fourth 
to  the  child.  The  end  in  view  is  to  hint,  however  imperfectly,  the 
possibility  of  a  school,  the  whole  of  which  shall  in  detail  and  in  its  en- 
tirety contribute,  either  directly  or  indirectly,  to  the  religious  life.  In 
these  suggestions  there  is  no  originality;  neither  is  there  in  them  an 
impossible  dream;  for  they  are  only  the  simple  statement  of  what  I 
have  found  suggested  in  the  actual  experience  of  good  teachers. 

245 


246  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

1.  The  ordinary  secular  school  will  be  primarily  a  religious  insti- 
tution if  the  teacher  is  profoundly  religious,  cheerful,  natural,  livable, 
and  busy,  to  be  sure,  but  having  in  the  midst  of  it  all  an  emancipated 
spirit  that  lives  behind  the  words,  speaks  through  the  actions,  lends 
color  and  quality  to  the  thoughts ,  and  breathes  life  and  health  into  the 
atmosphere  of  the  entire  school.  We  are  coming  to  know,  as  never  be- 
fore, that  there  is  nothing — motive,  impulse,  thought,  inspiration —  that 
is  not  finding  expression  in  the  tone  and  quality  of  the  whole  person- 
ality. Physiologists  and  psychologists  are  showing  constantly  that 
every  idea  or  state  of  feeling  registers  itself  definitely  and  in  an  all- 
pervasive  way,  though  very  minutely,  in  pulse-beat,  nerve-tension,  and 
muscular  reaction.  It  is  coming  to  be  demonstrably  true  that  out  of 
the  heart  are  the  issues  of  life.  There  is  nothing  more  pervasive  than 
character.  Religion  is  as  catching  as  wildfire.  It  is  as  contagious  as 
disease,  or  as  sin.  We  knew  all  this,  after  a  fashion,  but  shall  not 
have  appreciated  it  at  its  full  worth  until  the  best,  maturest,  and  largest- 
spirited  men  and  women  are  secured  and  retained  in  the  teaching  pro- 
fession. There  was  a  time  when  only  the  sages  were  teachers;  we 
stand  now  at  the  opposite  extreme,  when  our  teachers  of  children  range 
in  age  from  sixteen  years  to  the  unspeakable  age  of  thirty  or  thirty-five. 
It  is  impossible  for  a  teacher  to  teach  what  she  hasn't  got  deep  down 
within  her  heart.  This  is  the  consideration  of  first  importance.  With 
the  right  teacher,  alive  in  mind  and  pure  in  heart,  the  question  of  keep- 
ing the  flame  of  religion  burning  while  the  necessary  tasks  of  the  school 
day  are  performed  will  solve  itself.  To  secure  the  proper  teachers  is  in 
part  a  matter  of  selection,  and  in  part  it  is  to  be  solved  along  the  line 
suggested  above :  aspiration  toward  the  higher  life  is  a  step  in  its  own 
realization.  If  teachers  felt  their  responsibility  and  their  need,  and 
would  pray  earnestly  and  often  the  prayer  of  Socrates,  "  Ye  gods, 
make  me  beautiful  within,"  the  end  would  be  much  nearer. 

2.  The  second  point  of  revision  has  reference  to  the  things  to  be 
taught,  and  the  method  of  teaching  them.  How  can  a  teacher  keep 
from  getting  lost  in  the  thousand  petty  details  of  school  life  and  the 
countless  things  she  is  expected  to  teach  ?  She  can't.  Nor  should  she 
try.  Part  of  the  routine  of  the  school  or  her  own  best  life  will  have  to 
be  sacrificed,  and  in  the  dilemma  she  had  better  save  her  soul  and  the 
souls  of  her  pupils.  It  is  a  long  and  sad  story  how  we  have  mistaken 
means  for  ends  in  education,  and  are  making  a  great  point  of  master- 
ing the  tools  of  knowledge,  instead  of  concerning  ourselves  about  wisdom. 
We  teach  how  to  read,  instead  of  reading;  how  to  draw,  instead  of 
drawing;  how  to  cipher,  instead  of  doing  the  actual  thing  that  ciphering 


THE  FOUNDATIONS  OF  RELIGION  AND  MORALITY    247 

will  help  us  accomplish;  and  so  on.  It  is  as  great  folly  as  if  a  carpenter 
should  busy  himself  all  his  life  making  tools,  and  then  get  an  inkling  at 
the  end  of  his  life  that  he  might  have  made  something  worth  while  with 
them.  A  safe  rule  might  be,  Teach  only  that  which  has  some  real 
life -significance,  both  at  the  time  it  is  being  learned  and  for  later  life. 
Learning  merely  for  the  sake  of  learning  is  rarely,  if  ever,  excusable; 
but  of  learning  for  the  sake  of  appreciating  and  enjoying  and  growing, 
we  can  never  get  too  much.  Here,  I  am  inclined  to  believe,  the  fault 
is  as  much  with  the  teacher  as  with  the  curriculum.  In  following  the 
rule  suggested  above,  there  is  not  so  much  in  the  school  that  must  of 
necessity  be  excluded.  The  most  formal,  meaningless  subject,  under 
one  teacher's  presentation,  will,  in  the  hands  of  a  real  teacher,  be  suf- 
fused with  life-significance.  I  have  seen  a  class  in  geometry,  after 
some  weeks  of  interpretation  of  what  proofs  in  general  and  geometric 
proofs  in  particular  mean,  what  relation  the  subject  has  to  the  rest  of 
our  thought  life  and  its  meaning  to  the  actual  interests  of  men,  be- 
come so  enthused  with  the  subject  that  occasionally,  after  some  espe- 
cially neat,  clean-cut  demonstration  of  a  difficult  problem,  it  would 
break  out  in  applause  as  spontaneously  as  if  the  demonstration  had 
been  the  rendering  of  some  work  of  art — which  it  really  was. 

3.  The  next  consideration  has  to  do  with  our  interpretation  of  this 
thing  we  speak  of  so  loosely  as  religion.  It  means  a  variety  of  things, 
interpreted  in  all  gradations,  from  the  most  crystallized  stratum  of  con- 
ventionalized religion  up  to  the  highest  point  in  spiritual  progress,  and 
all  the  way  from  the  most  intellectualized  notions  about  God  and  duty 
to  the  deepest  springs  of  feeling  and  conduct.  My  appeal  would  be 
that  we  read  it  out  more  than  we  do  in  terms  of  life — life  at  its  growing 
points,  the  life  of  each  in  relation  to  all,  and  in  relation  to  his  highest 
sense  of  reality — and  in  terms  of  the  spirit  one  carries  into  these  rela- 
tions. It  is  exactly  this  for  which  Christ  came  and  lived,  and  it  is  this 
for  which  every  great  reformer  has  existed.  I  have  been  profoundly 
impressed,  during  recent  months,  in  trying  to  figure  out  as  dispas- 
sionately as  I  could,  from  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount  and  the  parables 
and  sayings  of  Christ,  what  his  theology  was,  and  what  were  his  "  doc- 
trines "  of  ethics  and  religion.  He  lives  and  speaks  with  a  higher  au- 
thority than  reason.  Instead  of  a  theology,  one  finds  an  exalted  sense 
of  a  divine  presence,  which  sometimes,  for  want  of  a  better  name,  he 
called  "  Father."  Instead  of  a  system  of  ethics,  one  finds  the  cup  of 
cold  water,  a  warm,  loving  heart,  and  a  clear  vision  that  could  see  the 
great  truths  of  life  reflected  in  growing  seeds  and  plants  and  in  working 
men  and  innocent  children.     Try  it  yourself,  and  I  believe  you  will 


248  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

agree  with  me  that  there  is  not  in  it  all  a  single  thing  that  any  citizen 
of  the  United  States,  or  any  judge  or  jury  or  set  of  lawmakers,  could  put 
under  the  ban,  or  would  care  to,  as  being  "  religious  "  teaching. 

The  problem  of  teaching  religion  in  the  schools  without  doctrine  and 
dogma  would  be  easy  enough,  some  of  you  are  saying  to  yourselves, 
and  a  very  indefinite,  unreal  thing  might  be  clear,  if  only  we  knew 
what  is  meant  by  "reHgion,"  "the  spiritual  life,"  and  such  terms.  I 
must  insist  that,  for  the  most  part,  they  must  remain  indefinite.  It 
is  the  ever-recurring  temptation,  bred  of  inertia,  to  split  up  and  dis- 
sect and  define  and  classify  the  things  that  belong  primarily  to  our  appre- 
ciation or  spiritual  apprehension  that  has  got  religion  into  most  of  its 
troubles.  We  know  some  things  with  our  hearts  better  than  we  can 
ever  know  them  with  our  minds,  and  the  verities  of  religion  belong  under 
this  head.  I  do  not  know  why  I  love  my  friend,  nor  how,  nor  exactly 
what  I  got  out  of  the  Fifth  Symphony  or  the  Sistine  Madonna,  but  I 
am  not  ashamed  to  go  on  drawing  life  from  them  in  spite  of  the  fail- 
ure of  my  reason  to  analyze  them.  It  is  time  religion  should  be  as 
direct  and  simple  and  fearless  as  is  art. 

There  are,  however,  a  few  specific  characteristics  of  religion  that 
we  can  agree  upon,  and  that  the  schools  may  well  cultivate,  by  way  of 
preparing  the  soil  and  sowing  the  seeds  of  the  spiritual  life. 

(a)  In  the  first  place,  there  is  the  power  to  enter  feelingly  into  some 
thought-interest  or  into  some  occupation.  Arnold's  definition,  "  Re- 
ligion is  morality  touched  with  emotion,"  is  doubtless  very  faulty,  but 
it  is  among  the  best  of  the  angular  snap-shots  of  the  actual  religious 
life  of  those  who  stand  historically  as  the  great  spiritual  leaders;  and 
a  paraphrase  of  it,  by  slipping  in  the  word  "  education  "  instead  of 
"  religion,"  would  be  a  good  characterization  of  the  ideals  of  the  great 
educational  reformers.  In  all  the  list  of  studies  and  occupations  in 
the  school,  there  are  only  the  two  bare  exceptions — writing  and  spelling 
—in  which  I  cannot  recall  some  teacher  or  teachers  who  aroused  such 
a  happy,  heartful  response  as  to  give  them  spiritual  significance. 

(6)  A  second  element  of  religion  and  of  good  training  is  the  habit 
of  responsiveness.  To  respond  to  the  tasks  that  are  set,  to  the  teacher's 
wish,  and  to  the  facts  that  lie  about,  is  the  condition  of  a  good  student; 
to  respond  to  persons  and  institutions  and  social  forces  is  a  primary 
requisite  of  morality,  just  as  social  and  civic  callousness  is  the  primary 
root  of  evil  and  vice;  responsiveness  to  the  thoughts  and  sentiments  of 
persons  and  books,  including  the  Bible,  to  personal  ideals,  to  instinctive 
promptings,  and  to  unseen  relations,  is  one  of  the  primary  sources  of 
religion;  and  responsiveness  is  a  habit  that  can  be  cultivated.     Through 


THE  FOUNDATIONS  OF  RELIGION  AND  MORALITY     249 

variety  in  its  exercise,  the  habit  may  pass  over  into  a  mood.  The 
teacher  herself  can  widen  the  spirit  involved  in  any  habit  or  idea  until 
it  passes  over  into  related  habits  and  ideas,  and  becomes  finally  a  per- 
sistent attitude.  Here  we  have  the  responsibility  falling  back  upon 
the  teacher  again  as  to  whether  the  manifold  habits  of  responsiveness, 
for  the  varied  exercise  of  which  the  school  is  so  full,  shall  break  over 
in  the  highest  reaches  of  religion. 

(c)  A  third  element  is  to  respond  with  a  whole  heart.  This  is 
one  of  the  differential  marks  of  religion.  It  takes  in  the  entire  person- 
ality. Religion  is  the  response  of  the  whole  life  to  its  fullest  sense  of 
reality.  This  attitude  can  be  cultivated  in  the  schools.  In  so  far  as 
there  is  good  teaching,  it  will  be.  Our  schools,  with  their  choppiness 
and  mechanization,  are  instilling  spot  knowledge.  They  are  fixing  the 
habit  of  responding  to  little  things  in  a  little  way,  instead  of  responding 
to  little  things  (if  there  are  any)  in  a  great  way,  or  to  great  things  with 
a  whole  life. 

(d)  A  most  hopeful  prophecy  of  better  things  in  religious  educa- 
tion in  the  secular  schools  is  a  general  depreciation,  among  psychologists 
and  educators,  of  intellectualism,  a  heightened  sense  of  the  value  of 
conduct,  character,  and  social  refinements,  as  ends  of  culture,  and 
especially  a  regard  for  what  might  be  called  intellectual  tastes,  as  op- 
posed to  intellectual  mechanics.  The  excessive  analysis  and  dissecting 
and  hair-splitting  and  logic  chopping,  into  which  our  school  life  has 
tended  to  degenerate,  defeats  the  ends  of  "  intellectual  "  training  itself, 
and  of  "  scientific  "  procedure. 

If  intellectualism  defeats  the  ends  of  science,  it  also  defeats  religion. 
The  disease  of  religion  to-day,  if  it  has  one  big  disease,  is  that  it  has 
been  over-intellectualized.  Our  theories  about  God,  our  beliefs  formu- 
lated in  creeds  and  doctrines,  give  us  pilules  of  religious  truth,  but 
not  exalted  ideals  and  a  warm  sense  of  reaUty. 

(e)  An  essential  condition  in  all  learning  and  also  in  rehgion  is  the 
truth-seeking  and  truth-loving  spirit.  It  is  this  spirit,  together  with  an 
assurance  that  the  truth  outside  will  become  one's  own,  that  is  the  con- 
dition back  of  religious,  scientific,  or  aesthetic  insight  and  achievement. 
It  is  this  which  gave  Bunyan,  Tolstoi,  Fox  and  Wesley  their  hold  upon 
spiritual  verities;  it  is  this  by  which  Helen  Hunt  Jackson,  after  months 
of  striving,  found  the  plot  of  Ramona;  by  which  Sir  Rowan  Hamilton 
discovered  as  by  a  flash  the  quaternions;  it  is  this  attitude  that  Pro- 
fessor Huxley  is  describing  when  he  confesses  that  he  came  to  give  him- 
self up  to  the  leading  of  facts  in  a  way  which  is  best  described  by  the 
Christian  doctrine  of  the  surrender  of  the  self  to  God.     There  is  no 


2SO  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

study  in  the  school  which  cannot  be  used  to  cultivate  the  longing  for 
and  dehght  in  the  thing  which  lies  just  next.  With  little  children  the 
thing  just  beyond  will  be  a  little  thing;  but  as  life  widens  and  deepens, 
the  pleasure  and  delight  should  ripen  into  a  hunger  and  thirst,  and 
the  fact  and  deed  should  be  enriched  until  they  blossom  into  righteous- 
ness. 

(/)  Nor  must  the  truth  be  my  truth  simply.  A  decentralization  of 
the  individual — the  appreciation  of  his  life  and  his  truth  as  part  of  a 
larger  life  and  truth  —  are  essential  both  in  education  and  in  religion. 
It  is  undoubtedly  the  message  of  most  religions  to  give  the  individual 
a  vivid  sense  of  his  relation  to  an  Eternal  Reality  and  to  other  persons. 
This  is  also  the  keynote  to  the  most  general  educational  doctrine  of  the 
present  time,  viz.,  the  social  end  of  school  life,  rather  than  the  cultural 
or  utilitarian.  The  way  of  approach  to  this  decentralization  is  in  the 
cultivation  and  right  use  of  the  imagination,  by  which  the  person  can 
transcend  his  own  narrow  limitations  and  make  real  in  thought  and 
feeling  the  world  of  people  and  things  outside. 

This  analysis  of  the  common  elements  of  education  and  religion 
does  not  mean  to  be  exhaustive.  It  is  complete  enough,  however,  to 
suggest  that  for  the  occupations  and  studies  of  the  school  to  blossom 
into  religion  should  be  as  natural  as  for  a  healthy  tree  to  bear  fruit. 

4.  The  last  point  to  consider  in  spiritualizing  the  secular  schools 
concerns  itself  with  our  understanding  of  the  nature  of  children.  We 
are  being  taught  nowadays  that  religion  gets  its  content  from  the  sum 
of  the  instinctive  endowments  with  which  the  individual  is  supplied 
by  nature;  that  the  personal  life  is  a  spring  in  which  there  well  up 
the  brute  and  the  human  instincts,  the  sum  of  which  and  the  particular 
blending  of  which  give  tone  and  coloring  and  quality  and  motive  and  con- 
tent to  the  whole  life,  and  determine  personality  and  character.  The 
highest  function  of  a  teacher  is  to  take  this  little  germ  of  possibility,  a 
little  child,  and  play  upon  its  complex  of  instinctive  endowments,  and 
bring  out  of  them  a  beautiful  harmony.  A  few  instincts  will  have  to 
be  repressed,  over-shadowed,  or  even  uprooted;  some  need  stimulating, 
while  others  need  bringing  up  on  to  the  highest  levels  of  refine- 
ment. 

In  so  far  as  a  dignified  sense  of  God  and  a  reverent  appreciation  of 
life  shall  prevail,  and  to  the  extent  that  we  can  have  men  and  women 
in  the  teaching  profession  who  have  come  into  their  own  spiritual 
heritage,  the  common  school  will  become  a  life-giving  and  religion- 
developing  institution.  Just  to  that  extent  will  the  quibbling  over 
"  religion  "  in  the  schools  be  a  thing  of  the  past. 


THE  FOUNDATIONS  OF  RELIGION  AND  MORALITY     251 

SARAH  LOUISE  ARNOLD 

DEAN  OF  SIMMONS  COLLEGE,  BOSTON,  MASSACHUSETTS 

We  shall  find  the  best  and  most  natural  illustrations  of  these 
truths  already  stated  in  the  lives  of  the  children  we  know  best.  I 
shall  therefore  call  your  attention  to  a  few  incidents  of  child  life,  which 
will  serve  as  my  text. 

I  have  in  mind  a  four-year-old  girl,  favored  in  many  things,  but 
especially  happy  in  that  she  spends  her  summers  on  an  island  in  a 
beautiful  lake,  mountain-rimmed.  She  has  always  been  privileged 
to  walk  with  her  father  and  mother  in  the  fields  and  woods;  to  "  go 
a-trudging,"  as  she  called  it,  has  been  her  chief  delight.  "  Where  did 
the  trees  get  their  red  and  yellow  leaves?"  she  asked.  "  Who  made 
them  red  and  yellow?"  Her  question  answered,  she  ran  to  her  mother 
with  her  chubby  hands  filled  with  her  new  treasures,  saying,  "See, 
Mamma!  I  have  brought  you  some  of  God's  beautiful  leaves!" 

"How  came  the  island  here?"  she  asked.  "Who  brought  the 
rocks  and  the  trees?"  She  was  told  how  the  island  was  lifted  into  its 
place;  how  the  soil  was  formed,  the  trees  planted,  and  the  island  made 
ready  for  the  birds,  for  the  trees,  for  the  rabbits,  for  the  squirrels, 
and  for  her, — just  as  her  father  had  built  the  house  for  her,  in  which 
she  Hved.  As  the  time  for  her  return  to  her  home  approached,  she 
sat  one  evening  watching  the  sunset  and  the  early  evening  stars,  and 
said  "  Don't  you  hope  that  God  will  be  at  home  when  we  get  there, 
just  as  He  has  been  here  this  summer?"  So  linked  with  her  love  of 
the  beautiful  in  the  world  was  her  reverent  thought  of  Him  who  had 
made  it  beautiful. 

Another  child  whom  I  knew — a  country  girl — received  as  a  gift  a 
copy  of  Emerson's  Parnassus.  When  the  dishes  had  been  washed 
after  supper,  she  went,  with  her  precious  book,  out  into  the  hay-field 
and  read  and  reread  the  poems  she  Hked  best.  Among  them  was 
Bryant's  "  Lines  to  a  Waterfowl."  She  is  a  woman  grown,  but  she 
says  that  the  childhood  experience  is  still  fresh  in  her  memory,  and 
with  the  lines  there  ever  recurs  to  her  thought  the  clear  summer  even- 
ing, the  fragrance  of  the  new-mown  hay,  the  crimson  sunset,  and  the 
dark  figure  of  the  distant  bird,  which  her  eye  beheld  as  she  read: 

"  Whither  midst  falling  dew, 

While  glow  the  heavens  with  the  last  steps  of  day, 
Far  through  their  rosy  depths,  dost  thou  pursue 
Thy  solitary  way  ? 


"  He  who  from  zone  to  zone, 

Guides  through  the  boundless  sky  thy  certain  flight, 
In  the  long  way  that  I  must  tread  alone, 
Will  guide  my  steps  aright," 


252  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

And  here  the  teaching  must  begin.  The  twenty-third  Psalm 
brings  to  you  and  me  its  assurance  of  comfort  and  peace.  How? 
"  He  maketh  me  to  lie  down  in  green  pastures;  he  leadeth  me  beside 
the  still  waters."  We  knew  in  childhood  the  green  pastures  and  still 
waters;  the  tenderness  of  father  and  mother  and  friend  interpreted  for 
us  the  loving  Shepherd. 

The  elements  of  religious  education  are  two,  the  teaching  of  nature 
in  childhood,  and  the  living  example  of  God's  children — so  that  we 
know  Him  through  the  life  of  our  friends.  Both  these  elements  should 
be  contributed  by  the  home.  But  the  best  of  homes  can  be  re-inforced, 
and  the  poorer  ones  must  be  aided  by  the  teachings  of  the  school.  The 
best  result  of  wisely  directed  nature-study  is  that  it  leads  to  a  fuller 
interpretation  of  the  teachings  of  the  Master,  and  develops  a  reverent 
spirit.  The  next  step  is  the  study  of  literature,  the  literature  of  the 
spirit,  in  which  nature  is  interpreted  to  us  as  speaking  for  the  Father. 
But  neither  teaching  avails  unless  the  teacher  herself  dwell  "  in  the 
secret  place  of  the  Most  High."  A  friend  tells  me  that  one  of  her 
earliest  childhood  memories  is  of  being  awakened  by  her  mother  be- 
fore daybreak  on  a  June  morning.  "Come,  child,"  she  said, — "  come 
with  me  over  to  the  pines,  to  hear  the  thrushes  sing."  Across  the  dew- 
wet  meadows  they  went,  in  the  early  flush  of  morning,  and  the  child, 
her  hand  clasped  in  her  mother's,  listened  with  her  to  the  exquisite 
music  of  the  thrush  in  the  holy  hour  and  place. 

What  need  of  words?  It  is. the  Spirit  that  giveth  Hfe.  The  flame 
was  kindled  in  the  heart  of  the  child  because  it  burned  undimmed  in 
the  mother's  heart.  Not  by  preaching,  nor  even  by  much  speaking, 
will  our  teachers  teach  religion.  But  they  will  surely  teach,  whose  lives 
abide  in  the  shadow  of  the  Almighty.  We  cannot  but  speak  the  things 
we  have  seen  and  heard.  Striving  to  do  His  will  in  the  schoolroom, 
we  slowly  learn  of  the  doctrine,  and  the  truth  we  have  made  our  own 
we  are  enabled  to  share. 


WHAT   MORAL   EQUIPMENT   MAY   THE   COMMUNITY 

REASONABLY    DEMAND    OF    THE    GRADUATES 

OF   THE    COMMON    SCHOOLS? 

MR.  WALTER  H.  SMALL,  A.M. 

SUPERINTENDENT  OF  SCHOOLS,  PROVIDENCE,  RHODE  ISLAND 

The  common  schools  are  pubHc  property;  public  or  community 
rights  in  these  schools  are  inherent  and  incontestable.  It  is  their  right 
to  receive,  for  every  dollar  invested,  a  dollar's  worth  of  return  in  the 
mental  and  moral  development  of  the  boys  and  girls  whom  they  edu- 
cate. 

The  early  New  England  school  was  founded  on  the  Bible  and  the 
catechism.  Education  was  to  be,  "not  only  in  good  literature,  but 
sound  doctrine."  None  could  be  instructors  "that  have  manifested 
themselves  tmsound  in  the  faith,  or  scandalous  in  their  lives,  and  not 
giving  due  satisfaction  according  to  the  rules  of  Christ."  They  must 
be  certified  to  by  the  minister  of  the  town,  in  which  the  school  was 
located,  and  also  by  the  ministers  of  the  adjoining  towns.  In  1717 
Connecticut  schools  became  parish  schools,  and  in  New  Hampshire 
they  were  permissive.  The  reading-books  were  the  Psalter,  the  Tes- 
tament, and  the  Bible;  the  church  dominated  the  school.  Examina- 
tion in  the  catechism  in  school  on  Saturday,  examination  in  the  Sun- 
day sermon  on  Monday,  not  to  mention  the  Monday  school  flogging 
for  the  Sunday  church  misdemeanors,  proves  the  close  relation  between 
the  two.  It  was  not  until  after  these  dependent  colonies  became  free 
and  independent  states  that  it  was  thought  necessary  to  incorporate 
into  the  law  any  allusion  to  moral  training.  That  law  in  this  common- 
wealth makes  it  the  duty  of  all  instructors,  from  the  president  of  Har- 
vard University  to  the  teacher  in  the  lowest  school,  "  to  exert  their 
best  endeavors  to  impress  on  the  minds  of  children  and  youth,  com- 
mitted to  their  care  and  instruction,  the  principles  of  piety  and  jus- 
tice, and  a  sacred  regard  for  truth;  love  of  their  country,  humanity, 
and  universal  benevolence;  sobriety,  industry,  and  frugality;  chastity, 
moderation,  and  temperance."  Then  they  are  to  "endeavor  to  lead 
their  pupils  as  their  ages  and  capacities  will  admit."  The  essence 
of  this  law  is  to  be  foimd  in  other  states. 

The  dissolution  between  church  and  school  was  reluctant.  The  cat- 
echism did  not  fully  disappear  until  about  1850.  Since  then  there  has 
been  a  growing  impression  that  moral  education  in  the  schools  has 

253 


254  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

been  decadent,  and  the  question  contained  in  the  subject  of  this  paper 
has  arisen  periodically.  In  1888,  a  committee  of  the  Massachusetts 
Teachers'  Association  made  an  extensive  report  on  this  subject,  which 
was  hopefully  optimistic,  though  not  overconfident.  Dr.  Hall,  in  his 
recent  book  on  adolescence,  says,  "Although  pedagogues  make  vast 
claims  for  the  moralizing  effect  of  schooling,  I  cannot  find  a  single 
criminologist  who  is  satisfied  with  the  modern  school."  There  are 
all  degrees  of  opinion  between  these  two. 

The  subject  naturally  divides  itself  into  three  considerations:  I. 
The  problem  and  its  conditions;  II.  Means  of  treatment;  and  III. 
Reasonable  results. 

I.  The  Problem.  The  problem  of  the  elementary  schools  is  to  take 
children  from  the  entrance  age  of  six  years  to  the  age  of  graduation, 
fourteen  or  fifteen,  and  give  them  the  foundations  on  which  to  build 
during  the  next  ten  years.  Habits  do  not  become  fixed  during  this 
elemental  period.  They  are  the  products  of  the  years  immediately 
beyond.  The  closing  years  of  the  elementary  school  period  form  the 
most  dangerous  in  child-life.  At  that  age  there  is  greater  tendency 
to  crimes  and  immoralities  than  at  any  other  future  period.  This  is 
the  age  when  dormant  faculties  spring  into  being,  and  primitive  im- 
pulses rage  in  the  blood.  School  truancies  largely  occur  between 
eleven  and  fourteen.  The  elementary  school  must  give  such  tenden- 
cies and  initial  velocities  as  will  carry  them  over  and  beyond  the  dan- 
ger lines. 

The  problem  of  the  elementary  school  is  to  sharpen  the  moral 
vision  to  such  an  extent  that  the  incorrigibihty  of  the  two  years  im 
mediately  following  graduation  may  be  lessened;  that  the  social  vir- 
tues may  be  recognized;  that  regularity,  punctuality,  obedience,  rights 
of  others,  bodily  cleanliness,  knowledge  of  physical  self,  truthfulness, 
honesty,  manliness,  self-reliance,  courtesy,  —  in  fact,  all  that  tend 
toward  correct  habits  and  correct  living  may  be  implanted. 

II.  Means  of  Treatment.  Moral  teaching  must  be  continuous.  In 
elementary  school  work  it  must  be  largely  incidental,  suggestive.  At 
this  age  didactic  teaching  is  neither  forceful  nor  fruitful.  The  school 
atmosphere  should  be  full  of  good  influences.  It  should  be  an  en- 
vironment created  with  a  distinct  end  in  view.  The  tone  must  be 
moral.  The  school  building  and  its  equipment  has  much  to  do  with 
this.  The  old-time  schoolhouse  invited  the  "jack-knife's  carved  ini- 
tials." It  equally  invited  the  immoral  expressions  and  pictures,  lim- 
nings  of  the  grosser  minds.  They  have  not  wholly  disappeared  to-day, 
but  they  are  less  common  because,  of  the  better  buildings  and  better 


MORAL  INFLUENCE  OF  THE  COMMON  SCHOOLS       255 

surroundings.  The  best  modern  sanitary  conditions  have  reduced  to 
the  lowest  terms  the  loss  of  modesty  occasioned  by  the  old-time  pub- 
lic exposure,  and  lessened  the  opportunity  of  vile  lessons  from  vile 
companions. 

Next  comes  the  opportunity  from  the  curriculum.  Scientists  main- 
tain that  in  the  life  of  every  child  we  have  embodied  all  the  changes 
which  nations  have  passed  through  from  savagery  to  present  intelli- 
gence, and  those  things  which  have  influenced  national  character  will 
influence  individual  character.  Music,  drawing,  reading,  give  abun- 
dant opportunities  for  this  development.  Good  school  music  elevates 
the  taste,  tints  and  tinges  character. 

For  the  sake  of  his  future  relations  with  other  people,  of  his  recog- 
nition that  the  individual  must  be  merged  into  the  community,  school 
rules  and  their  enforcement  are  necessary,  that  he  may  gain  self-con- 
trol, and  be  obedient  to  law  voluntarily.  The  enforcement  of  these 
rules  has  greatly  changed  in  recent  years.  To-day,  discipline  is  a 
training  of  the  will,  the  great  mainspring  of  human  progress.  It  is 
teaching  individual  self-control;  it  is  teaching  recognition  of  individual 
rights,  as  compared  with  the  rights  of  the  community,  the  school;  it 
is  teaching  obedience  to  those  rights  through  force  within,  not  with- 
out; it  is  a  doctrine  of  leadership.  The  spirit  is  trained,  not  broken, 
until  habits,  the  product  of  the  will,  are  formed  on  right  principles, 
tend  towards  right  growth,  and  ripen  into  wholesome  manhood  and 
womanhood. 

Buildings,  equipment,  studies,  and  rules  are  of  little  avail,  unless 
under  the  administration  of  a  strong  personality.  There  needs  to  be 
in  the  schoolroom  the  spirit  that  rejoices  over  the  one  sinner  that 
repenteth.  There  needs  to  be  the  spirit  of  faith  in  the  final  result. 
This  is  not  found  in  the  little  soul.  Teachers  must  be  broad  enough, 
and  strong  enough,  to  imprint  themselves  on  their  pupils  in  a  broad, 
strong  way.  Here  is  the  great  responsibility  of  the  community.  They 
should  see  that  the  teachers,  to  whom  they  intrust  their  children,  are 
men  and  women  of  clear  eye,  clear  brain,  clean  blood  and  clean  char- 
acter, living  examples  of  goodness,  of  truth,  and  of  purity,  but  warm- 
blooded, warm-hearted,  virile,  forceful.  The  danger  to-day  is  that 
this  standard  of  the  elementary  school  teacher  will  not  be  maintained. 
Already,  other  interests  are  drawing  them  away  from  the  schools,  until 
there  is  the  possibility  that  they  may  fall  into  the  hands  of  "young  girls 
and  feeble  men."  When  this  comes  true,  the  product  will  be  young 
and  feeble,  and  the  flow  of  the  current  is  in  that  direction. 

What  right  has  any  community  to  expect  that  a  young  woman, 


256  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

getting  a  weekly  wage  of  from  $3.60  to  $7.70  for  the  fifty-two  weeks 
of  the  year,  shall  be  a  mental  guide,  a  spiritual  adviser,  and  a  moral 
headlight,  of  strong  compelling  personal  magnetism,  a  guide  unto  their 
feet,  and  a  light  in  the  darkness?  Yet,  these  figures  represent  the 
extremes  of  over  twenty  communities,  and  there  are  hundreds  like 
them. 

Every  boy,  from  twelve  years  up,  should  come  under  the  influence 
of  a  vigorous,  virile,  whole-souled  man,  who  has  grown  up  through  a 
vigorous,  tempestuous  boyhood.  He  wants  guidance,  counsel,  fellow- 
ship, leadership.  He  has  no  use  for  sermonettes,  or  pleadings  or  tears. 
The  average  woman  teacher  has  trouble  at  this  point,  because  she 
does  not  understand  the  physical  turmoil  through  which  the  boy  is 
passing,  and  because  she  is  emotional,  unjudicial  in  temperament,  and 
lacks  the  knowledge  gained  only  through  experience.  The  teachers 
for  this  period  of  the  elementary  school  life  cost  money,  and  this  the 
average  community    refuses  to  furnish. 

Reasonable  Demands.  With  these  means,  what  reasonable  demands 
may  the  community  make  upon  the  elementary  schools  for  the  solution 
of  the  problem?  The  right  of  expectation  depends  on  two  points — 
knowledge  of  the  physiological  and  psychological  natures  of  the  pu- 
pils of  common  school  age,^  and  the  condition  of  the  community  finances 
in  support  of  the  schools.  The  community  has  the  habit  of  looking 
for  finished  products  from  the  common  school.  The  products  are  still 
elemental,  embryonic,  formative.  The  belief  in  infant  conversion  and 
in  infant  damnation,  whether  it  be  in  religion  or  morals,  has  not  wholly 
disappeared  from  the  land.  It  is  this  infant  belief  which  still  inclines 
communities  to  expect  too  much  from  the  elementary  schools.  The 
community  is  inclined  to  judge  everything  from  its  own  adult  stand- 
point; it  is  inclined  to  believe  that  its  yardstick  is  the  one  which  it 
brought  from  the  elementary  school,  when,  in  point  of  fact,  it  was 
only  then  a  foot-rule,  which  has  grown  into  the  yardstick  with  ma- 
turer  years.     It  is  not  a  fair  standard  of  measure  for  boys  and  girls. 

The  community  has  the  right  to  demand  of  elementary  schools,  if 
they  are  properly  housed,  properly  equipped  with  good  working  tools, 
and  a  strong  teaching  force,  a  fair  solution  of  the  problem,  that  pu- 
pils shall  graduate  with  a  common  moral  standard,  with  a  clear  con- 
ception of  moral  obligations,  and  with  their  tendencies  in  right  direc- 
tions. They  have  no  right  to  demand  that  these  pupils  shall  have 
the  fixity  of  purpose  which  develops  in  the  secondary  school  age, 
nor  that  all  graduates  shall  have  these  conceptions  and  tendencies. 
Not  all  are  law-abiding,  either  in  school  or  in  the  community.    Neither 


MORAL  INFLUENCE  OF  THE  COMMON  SCHOOLS       257 

have  they  any  right  to  demand  that  these  schools  shall  do  the  work 
which  belongs  primarily  to  the  home  or  church;  nor  have  they  any 
right  to  demand  that  poor  teachers  and  poor  equipment  shall  pro- 
duce complete  results.  They  have  the  right  to  demand  that  the  soil 
shall  be  prepared,  the  seed  planted,  cared  for,  nourished,  but  if  the 
soil  prove  stony  ground,  if  the  tares  spring  up  and  choke  in  latei 
years,  they  have  no  right  to  charge  this  as  a  fault  of  the  elementary 
schools.  The  elementary  schools  have  none  of  the  pleasures  of  the 
harvesters.  They  may  see  the  tendencies  change,  asperities  soften, 
irregularities  grow  toward  regularities,  but  the  full  fruition  is  not  theirs; 
theirs  is  only  the  hope  that  the  fruit  may  not  bhght  in  the  bud. 


THE  INDIRECT  EDUCATION  OF  THE  WILL 

PROFESSOR  HERMAN  H.  HORNE,  Ph.D. 

DARTMOUTH    COLLEGE,    HANOVER,    NEW    HAMPSHIRE 

By  the  direct  education  of  the  will,  is  usually  meant  teaching  the 
will  how  to  act,  teaching  morality,  instilling  right  ideas,  giving  ethical 
instruction.  By  the  indirect  education  of  the  will,  I  mean  getting  hold 
of  the  moral  nature  through  action,  rather  than  through  instruction. 
Direct  instruction  must  be  present,  but  must  be  secondary  to  the  con- 
trol of  conduct.  The  direct  education  of  the  will,  through  ethical 
teaching,  utilizes  the  sensory  processes;  the  indirect  education  of  the 
will,  through  moral  action,  utilizes  the  motor  processes.  From  the 
beginning  of  education  until  now  the  sensory  processes  have  been 
overworked  by  teachers.  When  we  recognize  that  the  intellect  is  the 
outgrowth  of  the  sensory  processes,  and  the  will  of  the  motor  pro- 
cesses, we  are  led  to  affirm  the  superiority  of  cultivating  the  will  by 
action  to  cultivating  it  by  instruction. 

Wliat,  then,  are  the  principles  that  should  guide  us  in  cultivating 
the  will  through  action ?  To  refer  to  a  few  of  these  in  order:  i.  We 
must  utilize  the  inherited  racial  store  of  natural  instincts  and  interests. 
Man  has  all  the  instincts  and  interests  of  the  lower  animal,  and  some 
of  them,  like  constructiveness,  imitation,  and  cleanliness,  more  highly 
developed.  In  natural  life  these  inborn  instincts  are  overlaid  by  reason ; 
in  adolescent  life  they  are  beginning  to  be;  in  young  life  they  control. 
The  moral  problem  0}  elementary  education  is  the  organization  0}  these 
manifold  natural  and  inherited  instincts  and  impulses. 

How  shall  they  be  organized?  Not  by  crushing  them  out — they 
cannot  be  crushed  out;  nor  by  leaving  them  alone — they  will  run  riot; 
nor  even  by  impressing  ideas  upon  them  as  their  governors  —they 
do  not  yet  acknowledge  the  sovereignty  of  ideas;  —  but  by  directing 
their  expression  toward  legitimate  objects. 

Children  will  imitate?  Then  provide  worthy  models  for  their  im- 
itation. Children  are  naturally  constructive?  Then  provide  courses 
in  manual  training  and  domestic  science.  Children  will  play?  Then 
provide  ample  recesses  and  good  games,  and  recognize  play  as  a  legiti- 
mate educator.  Children  are  acquisitive?  Then  provide  shelves  for 
natural-history  specimens.  Children  obey  the  group-impulse?  Then 
let  parents  and  teachers  join  in  organizing  proper  bands  and  clubs. 
Children  are  curious?    Then  provide  legitimate  difficulties  to  engage 

258 


THE  INDIRECT  EDUCATION  OF  THE  WILL  259 

their  curiosity.  Children  instinctively  fear?  Make  the  consequences 
of  wrong-doing  such  as  justly  to  excite  their  fear.  Children  so  easily 
fly  into  a  passion  ?  When  the  fury  is  past,  show  the  boy  some  wrong 
inflicted  upon  the  innocent,  and  let  his  anger  kindle  as  a  flame  to 
right  it.  Children  are  so  secretive?  Agree  with  them  to  keep  all  evil 
reports  about  another.  Children  are  so  emulous  of  each  other  ?  Con- 
front each  one  with  his  own  weak  past  self  to  excel.  They  are  en- 
vious of  another's  good  fortune?  Point  to  some  man  of  good  char- 
acter as  having  the  most  enviable  treasure.  And  so  on  through  the 
list.  Catch  the  instinct  in  the  act,  and  direct  it  toward  a  legitimate 
object.     To  do  so  skillfully  is  actually  to  fashion  tjie  good  will. 

2.  Aim  at  a  specific  right  act,  instead  of  at  a  general  principle 
of  conduct.  Save  the  deeds,  and  the  habits  will  take  care  of  themselves. 
There  may  be  a  cripple  in  school,  or  one  slightly  deficient  in  some 
sense-organ;  there  are  sick  persons  in  the  neighborhood;  secure  some 
particular  child  to  share  to-day  the  other's  burden.  The  deed  of  kind- 
ness done  gives  the  child  a  new  and  finer  feeling,  itself  a  motive  for 
another  deed.  Not  moralizing,  but  incidental  moral  practice,  is  our 
better  plan. 

3.  Let  us  form  in  the  pupil's  mind  an  indissoluble  association 
between  pleasure  and  right-doing,  and  pain  and  wrong-doing.  To 
get  pleasure  and  avoid  pain  is  a  part  of  our  ancestral  inheritance. 
These  are  practically  the  only  motives  of  animals.  They  are  the 
ruling  motives  of  our  children.  In  adolescent  and  mature  life  they 
are  supplemented  by  higher  incentives,  and  sometimes  really  sup- 
planted, as  in  doing  right  for  right's  sake  and  in  self-sacrifice.  The 
progress  to  that  high  stage  must  be  as  rapid  as  possible  through  the 
pleasure-pain  epoch.  Let  no  real  school  offense  go  unpunished.  "Pain 
is  the  rudder  of  education,"  said  Aristotle.  Let  no  faithful  perform- 
ance of  duty  go  unrewarded.  To  enter  into  the  joys  of  right-doing 
is  part  of  a  moral  order.  For  the  joy  that  is  set  before  them,  our  pu- 
pils may  come  to  endure  the  cross,  despising  the  shame. 

4.  The  great  habit  in  organizing  impulses,  the  saving  virtue  of 
childhood,  is  obedience.  It  implies  righteous  authority  somewhere, 
and  power  to  discipline.  Obedience  is  the  surrender  of  the  whole 
personality  to  righteous  rule.  Outward  conformity  is  but  the  shell 
of  it.  I  do  not  say  children  must  be  taught  the  virtue  of  obedience, 
but  this;  children  must  obey.  To  obey  is  not  to  submit;  it  is  to  let  the 
higher  nature  rule.  The  use  of  the  child's  interest  does  not  mean  to 
permit  him  to  do  as  he  pleases,  but  that  he  should  find  his  pleasure 
in  doing  the  right. 


26o  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

It  will  help  us  in  forming  this  virtue  to  remember  that  directions 
for  young  children  should  be  definite,  rather  than  general;  uniform, 
rather  than  inconsistent;  and  righteous,  rather  than  questionable.  The 
ultimate  basis  is  not  our  authority  as  teachers,  but  its  righteousness. 

5.  Inspire  a  passion  for  right  ideals.  To  do  so,  is  to  use  the  lever 
of  feeling  in  moving  the  will.  These  two  —  feeling  and  will  —  are  so 
closely  related  that  many  psychologists  identify  them.  To  love  the 
right  supremely  is  a  sure  means  of  doing  it.  How  shall  such  a  pas- 
sion be  inspired?  When  it  already  animates  the  teacher's  life;  when 
a  genuine  and  personal  interest  is  taken  in  the  best  welfare  of  each 
pupil,  when  the  school  environment  is  made  to  suggest  the  beautiful; 
when  the  positive,  rather  than  the  negative,  values  in  life  are  empha- 
sized, and  when  an  humble  and  reverent  attitude  is  always  main- 
tained, when  the  treatment  is  of  great  themes.  It  is  not  necessary 
to  preach  the  importance  of  virtue  when  we  show  forth  a  simple 
natural,  winsome  life  in  the  midst  of  imitative  children.  We  truly 
educate  the  will,  not  when  we  teach  what  were  good  to  do,  but  when 
we  fill  little  selves  full  of  ourselves,  who  are  Christ's,  who  is  God's. 


TESTED   METHODS    OF   INCULCATING    RELIGION   AND 

MORALS 
"  Religionsunterright,"  and  its  Results 
MR.  EDWARD  O.  SISSON,  B.Sc,  A.B. 

ASSISTANT   PROFESSOR  OF  EDUCATION,  UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS,  CHAMPAIGN,  ILLINOIS 

Every  school  programme  in  Germany  begins  with  Religion.  Every 
child  must  be  instructed  in  religion.  In  general,  it  may  be  said  that 
the  state  provides  three  varieties,  —  Protestant,  Catholic,  and,  usually, 
Jewish.  The  parent  may  choose  from  these  which  he  will,  or  he  is 
free  to  seek  or  provide  other  instruction,  more  in  accordance  with  his 
creed,  provided  he  can  satisfy  the  Department  of  Instruction  as  to 
the  quantity  and  quality  of  this  instruction.  In  actual  fact,  the  vast 
majority  profess  one  of  the  three  prevailing  faiths,  and  send  their 
children  to  the  corresponding  instruction.  The  religious  instruction  is, 
in  all  cases,  confessional;  i.e.,  distinctively  Protestant,  Catholic,  or 
Jewish. 

One  must  bear  in  mind  that  the  school  in  Germany  is  formed  and 
governed  by  the  state.  The  people,  in  general,  have  no  voice  in  its 
curriculum  or  methods.  With  respect  to  the  religious  instruction,  the 
real  control  is  in  the  hands  of  the  church  authorities,  who  are,  of  course, 
themselves  state  officials. 

My  remarks  will  be  conlined  to  the  Protestant,  or  in  German 
phrase,  evangelical,  instruction,  and  will  refer,  where  nothing  is  said 
to  the  contrary,  to  Prussia,  for  the  reason  that  Prussia  is  the  acknowl- 
edged leader  in  educational  as  well  as  in  other  affairs.  Further,  by 
the  term  "  school,"  the  public  elementary  school  will  be  meant,  unless 
otherwise  specified. 

I.  The  Place  of  Religion  in  the  Curriculum.  For  the  first 
three  years  of  school  life,  from  six  to  nine,  religion  has  three  hours  a 
week;  for  the  other  five  years,  four  hours  a  week.  This  makes  a  total 
of,  roughly,  1,500  hours  of  instruction  in  religion  in  the  elementary 
school.  Religion  gets  a  little  over  13  per  cent  of  the  whole  school 
time;  only  two  subjects  exceed  it;  the  mother-tongue,  including  reading 
and  composition,  has  24  per  cent,  and  arithmetic  a  trifle  over  15 
per  cent. 

This  long  series  of  lessons,  extending  through  the  whole  school 
life,  and  having  the  same  thorough  and  exacting  character  as  other 
Prussian  instruction,  must  impress  us  with  the  largeness  of  the  work, 

261 


262  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

affecting,  as  it  does,  every  child  of  whatever  birth  or  rank,  and  so 
becoming  the  heritage  of  every  adult  Prussian. 

II.  The  Subject-matter.  The  religious  instruction  includes  four 
main  constituents:  i.  The  Bible.  2.  Luther's  Shorter  Catechism. 
3.  Hymns  and  prayers.  4.  Church  knowledge.  In  the  higher  schools, 
the  gymnasiums  and  realschulen,  there  is  added  a  small  amount  of 
doctrinal  theology  and  Christian   ethics. 

1.  Bible-study.  The  study  of  the  Bible  forms  the  backbone  of 
the  instruction.  In  the  early  years,  it  consists  of  Bible  stories  from 
Old  and  New  Testaments,  narrated  freely  by  the  teacher,  and  learned 
by  the  pupils,  so  that  they  can  recite  them  readily.  When  the  pupils 
can  read,  a  book  of  selected  stories,  in  words  suited  to  their  years,  is 
put  into  their  hands.  The  stories  are  those  which  are  commonly 
taught  in  our  Sunday  schools.  The  list  usually  includes  all  varieties, 
pedagogically  considered,  from  "J^sus  in  the  Temple"  and  "Abra- 
ham's Unselfishness  to  Lot  "  to  "The  Sacrifice  of  Isaac"  and  "The 
Slaying  of  the  Prophets  of  Baal." 

In  the  last  four  or  five  years,  Bible-reading  takes  the  place  of  the 
Bible  stories.  Either  the  full  Bible  or  an  expurgated  school  Bible 
is  used.  There  is  a  sharp  conflict  of  opinion  concerning  the  two  plans; 
the  teachers  are,  in  general,  strongly  in  favor  of  the  school  Bible,  but 
the  ecclesiastical  authorities  block  its  introduction  to  a  large  extent, 
insisting  that  the  children  must  have  the  whole  Bible  in  their  hands, 
and  this,  in  spite  of  the  well-known  fact  that  the  boys  get  together 
and  batten  on  the  objectionable  passages.  The  Bible-reading  has  the 
aim  of  giving  a  connected  idea  of  the  Bible,  as  a  whole,  and,  in  par- 
ticular, of  the  development  of  the  plan  of  salvation — "History  of  Re- 
demption," as  it  is  called  in  the  courses  of  study. 

At  this  time  there  is  a  little  so-called  "Bible-lore,"  the  names  and 
sequence  of  the  books,  a  little  Biblical  geography,  some  points  —  very 
conservative  —  concerning  origin  and  authorship,  and  the  like. 

A  good  deal  of  the  Bible  is  learned  by  heart;  single  verses,  or  "say- 
ings," are  learned  and  used,  in  a  sense,  as  proof-texts  for  the  cate- 
chism. In  Berlin,  where  the  memory-work  is  at  a  minimum,  they 
learn  fifty  short  passages,  including  about  one  hundred  verses  and 
five  Psalms  (Ps.  i,  23,  90,  121,  130).  The  Scripture,  thus  learned,  is 
called  for  constantly  to  illustrate  and  emphasize  points  of  teaching. 

2.  Catechism.  Luther's  Shorter  Catechism  includes  five  parts:  i. 
The  Ten  Commandments.  2.  The  Apostles'  Creed.  3.  The  Lord's 
Prayer.  4.  The  Sacrament  of  Baptism.  5.  The  Sacrament  of  the 
Lord's  Supper. 


TESTED  METHODS  OF  INCULCATING  MORALS  263 

The  first  three  parts  are  learned  by  heart, —  Bible,  Creed,  Luther, 
and  all, —  and  what  it  means  to  know  by  heart,  one  can  hardly  imagine 
until  one  has  heard  a  Prussian  boy  recite  his  catechism.  Of  the  fourth 
and  fifth  parts,  only  the  Biblical  passages  are  usually  learned  by 
heart.  This  makes  the  total  amount  of  the  catechism  memorized 
about  eight  pages.  This  is,  as  we  shall  see,  only  a  small  part  of  the 
total  memory-work  of  the  religious  instruction,  and  yet  the  present 
requirement  is  far  less  than  that  of  thirty  years  ago. 

The  place  of  the  catechism  in  the  school  amounts  to  this:  that  a 
work  written  chiefly  for  illiterate  peasants  of  the  sixteenth  century 
forms  the  text  book  of  morals  for  boys  and  girls  of  all  grades  of  cul- 
ture in  modern  Germany.  It  is  not  surprising  that  the  loudest  com- 
plaints against  the  religious  instruction  are  directed  against  the  cate- 
chism. It  is  surprising  that  there  seems,  for  the  present,  no  hope  of 
its  ejection. 

3.  Hymns  and  Prayers.  The  study  of  hymns  extends  over  the 
whole  eight  years.  In  the  early  years,  single  verses  are  learned;  later, 
whole  hymns.  Here,  as  in  all  German  school-work,  everything  is  ex- 
plained and  analyzed  with  great  care  before  the  pupil  is  required  to 
learn  it,  and  the  pupil  must  be  able  to  explain  and  analyze  it  himself. 
I  trust  that  no  one  will  think  that  I  mean  to  imply  that  the  children 
really  tmderstand  all  this  religious  material  which  is  so  patiently  and 
thoroughly  explained  to  them. 

In  Berlin,  a  total  of  one  hundred  twenty-four  verses  are  learned, 
including  fifteen  whole  hymns  and  some  single  stanzas.  The  favorite 
authors  are  Paul  Gerhardt  and  Luther.  The  hymns  are  mostly  of 
the  type  best  described  as  pietistic.  Two  favorites,  well  known  in 
EngHsh  translation,  are  Luther's  "  Eine  feste  Burg"  and  Gerhardt's 
'■'  O  Haupt  voll  Blut  und  Wunden !  "  "A  Mighty  Fortress  is  our  God  " 
''tr.  F.  H.  Hedge);  "O  Sacred  Head  now  Wounded"  (tr.  J.  W.  Alex- 
ander). It  need  hardly  be  added  that  the  pupils  learn  to  sing  these 
hymns  as  well  as  many  others,  and  they  sing  them  with  inspiring  power 
and  perfection.  Some  of  the  hymns  are  wonderfully  fine,  but 
most  contain  a  sentiment  entirely  foreign  to  the  child's  range  of 
ideas. 

Prayers  are  learned  in  the  first  three  or  four  years,  and  are  used 
in  opening  and  closing  school  at  all  times.  Nearly  all  the  children 
know  two  or  three  prayers  when  they  first  come  to  school,  —  a  morning 
prayer,  a  bedtime  prayer,  a  "grace  before  meat,"  and  a  "grace  after 
meat."  A  few  more  are  learned  in  school.  All  are  extremely  simple, 
and,  like  the  hymns,  of  a  distinctly  pietistic  tone. 


264  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

4.  Church  Knowledge.  The  material  which  I  inchide  under  this 
heading  is  as  follows: 

In  the  sixth  year,  instruction  in  the  Church  year,  and  the  liturgy 
of  the  Evangelical  Church. 

In  the  seventh  year,  the  last  religion  lesson  of  each  week  is  usually 
given  in  part  to  an  explanation  of  the  Church  lessons  for  the  follow- 
ing Sunday. 

In  the  eighth  year,  a  very  brief  and  simple  outline  of  Church  his- 
tory is  given,  treating  mainly  of  Luther  and  the  Reformation,  with  a 
view  to  arming  the  good  Protestant  against  the  wiles  of  Catholicism, 
but  also  including  such  topics  as:  The  Persecutions,  Constantine  the 
Great,  Augustine,  Contemporary  Activities  of  the  Church,  and  the  like. 

III.  Spirit  and  Methods.  Under  this  head  I  can  touch  only 
lightly  the  general  treatment  and  atmosphere  of  the  religious  instruction. 
Some  teachers  treat  the  religion  lesson  in  exactly  the  same  way  as  they 
would  a  lesson  in  geography  or  arithmetic,  making  it  purely  a  matter  of 
so  much  knowledge;  others  give  it  the  air  almost  of  a  prayer-meeting. 
Between  these  extremes  there  are  all  intermediate  varieties.  The  intel- 
lectual tone  is  prevalent  in  the  higher  schools  in  general,  and  in  Prus- 
sia in  particular.  In  the  great  majority  of  these  schools  the  religion 
lesson  has  no  more  emotion  than  any  other  lesson,  and  of  no  other 
kind. 

The  intellectual  treatment  is  by  no  means  confined  to  the  higher 
schools,  nor  to  Prussia.  It  is  common,  also,  in  the  Volksschulen, 
especially  among  the  younger  teachers.  There  is  much  reason  to  be- 
lieve that  it  is  on  the  increase.  I  met  the  devotional  method  in  Prus- 
sia only  among  the  older  teachers  and  some  women  teachers.  The 
current  of  public  feeling  and  the  new  scientific  thought  that  is  gain- 
ing so  rapidly  among  the  common  school  teachers  are  against  it,  and 
seem  likely  to  drive  it  out  in  the  end. 

On  the  other  hand,  much  as  we  may  disapprove  the  purely  intel- 
lectual treatment,  there  is  a  devotional  type  which  is  hardly  less  ob- 
jectionable,— a  sort  of  prayer-meeting  tone  and  phraseology,  which  are 
quite  out  of  place  in  school,  and  with  children  of  school  age. 

This  brings  us  to  the  vital  point  of  the  German  and  all  other  re- 
ligious instruction — that  is,  the  teacher  himself.  Whenever  I  have  heard 
good  reports  from  a  German  youth  about  his  Religionsunterricht,  it 
has  always  been  with  some  such  words  as  "We  had  a  fine  teacher  in 
this  or  that  class,  and  I  enjoyed  religion,  and  got  good  from  it."  There 
are  two  fatal  faults  in  the  teacher  of  religion,  indifference  and  insin- 
cerity, and  two  vital  necessities,  love  and  wise  candor.     The  Prussian 


TESTED  METHODS  OF  INCULCATING  MORALS         265 

system,  unfortunately,  makes  these  two  virtues  difficult;  the  stringent 
methods  and  discipline  discourage  affection  between  teacher  and  pupil, 
and  the  rigid  orthodoxy  required  in  the  religious  instruction  destroys 
candor  by  compelling  the  teacher  to  present  as  sacredly  true,  state- 
ments and  ideas  which  his  conscience  and  judgment  reject. 

IV.  Results.  What  is  the  actual  outcome  of  this  great  religious 
instruction?  Without  some  sort  of  answer  to  this  question,  we  can- 
not make  any  final  estimate  of  its  value  or  significance,  nor  any 
inferences  as  to  our  own  problem.  The  Germans  themselves  are  far 
from  agreed  on  the  point.  Some  think  the  religious  instruction  is 
the  source  of  great  and  almost  unmixed  benefit;  others  condemn  it, 
root  and  branch.  And  while  its  bitterest  enemies  may  be  the  enemies 
of  rehgion,  there  are  not  wanting  earnest  churchmen  who  declare  that 
it  works  untold  injury  to  all  true  piety.  There  is  an  oft-quoted 
saying  of  an  eminent  theologian,  that  the  German  people  must  have 
much  religion  in  their  hearts,  inasmuch  as  the  Religionsunterricht  has 
not  yet  rooted  it  all  out!  It  would  not  be  far  wrong  to  summarize 
German  opinion  thus :  Instruction  in  religion  is  absolutely  indispens- 
able, but  the  existing  instruction  is  completely  out  of  harmony  with 
the  best  thought  of  the  day  and  stands  in  need  of  radical  re- 
form. 

I  venture  the  following  as  to  results:  The  pupils  certainly  get 
a  large  stock  of  knowledge  on  religious  matters,  of  the  Bible,  of  the 
great  conceptions  of  Christian  doctrine,  and  of  the  Evangelical  Church. 
How  much  this  is  worth,  and  how  long  it  is  retained,  are  questions 
not  easily  answered. 

It  seems  quite  undeniable  that  the  religious  instruction  does  not 
produce  devotion  to  the  Church,  either  in  the  sense  of  interest  in 
its  work,  or  of  adherence  to  its  tenets.  The  growing  estrangement 
from  the  Church,  especially  among  the  laboring  classes  and  the  cul- 
tured, is  one  of  the  most  conspicuous  features  of  German  life.  In- 
deed, it  is  hard  to  avoid  the  conviction,  held  by  many  Germans,  that 
the  religious  instruction,  with  its  rigid  inculcation  of  a  body  of  ideas 
antagonistic  to  current  thought,  is  one  of  the  potent  factors  of  this 
estrangement. 

It  is  conservative  to  say  that  there  is  no  good  proof  that  the 
religious  instruction  is  any  more  effective  in  creating  inward  religion 
and  morality  than  in  producing  devotion  to  the  visible  church.  That 
in  the  hands  of  earnest  and  high-souled  teachers,  the  religious  in- 
struction can  be  and  is  the  means  of  deep  and  lasting  moral  and 
spiritual  good,  no  one  can  doubt. 


266  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

In  conclusion,  a  word  as  to  the  inferences  for  our  problem.  I  sug- 
gest five: 

1.  The  great  fact  of  the  instruction  itself,  and  the  almost  unani- 
mous opinion  among  German  schoolmen,  that  religious  instruction  is 
an  indispensable  part  of  the  school,  ought  to  incline  us  to  weigh  our 
own  situation,  and  ask  whether  we  are  not  robbing  our  school  of  an 
essential  organ. 

2.  There  is  no  hope  that  we  can  borrow  either  wholesale  or  in 
detail  from  the  Prussian  system,  without  searching  criticism. 

3.  Any  hope  of  sustaining,  by  means  of  religious  instruction,  any 
cult  or  dogma  in  opposition  to  the  best  thought  of  the  day,  is  an 
illusion.  Knowledge  of  religious  concepts  and  doctrines  may  be  in- 
culcated, but  this  by  no  means  insures  any  particle  of  genuine  re- 
ligion. 

4.  Here,  as  there,  the  person  must  be  found;  the  man  or  woman 
with  warm  heart  and  clear  head.  His  moral  teaching  must  be  in- 
structive and  persuasive,  never  dictatorial  nor  dogmatic;  he  must  work 
most  by  being,  as  a  wise  man  has  said,  the  imitable  thing,  in  morals 
and  rehgion. 

5.  Lastly,  a  word  as  to  the  Bible.  The  wisest  German  thinkers 
on  education  see  in  the  greater  prominence  of  the  Bible  the  salvation 
of  the  Religionsunterricht,  and  are  urging  with  much  success  that 
all  other  matter  be  made  subordinate  to  it.  The  exclusion  of  the 
Bible  from  our  schools  is  a  staggering  fact,  when  viewed  in  the  light 
of  a  great  system  of  public  schools  with  the  Bible.  In  some  of  the 
smaller  German  states  and  in  Switzerland,  the  Bible  is  in  the  schools, 
and  the  teacher's  conscience  is  free.  If  Prussia  would  learn  from  this 
example,  her  religious  instruction  might  gain  new  power  and  stability. 
And  who  can  estimate  the  uplift  that  could  come  to  us  from  the  pres- 
ence of  the  Bible  in  the  school  ?     But  only  with  the  spirit  of  freedom. 

A  few  of  the  most  available  books  on  the  subject  are : 

Russell,  James  E.     German  Higher  Schools,     pp.  213-226.     New  York,  1899. 

Seeley,  L.     German  School  System.     New  York,  1896. 

Bolton,  F.  E.     Secondary  School  System  of  Germany.     New  York,  1900. 

Klemm,  L.  R.     European  Schools.     New  York,  1889. 


ORIENTAL  CUSTOMS  WITH  RESPECT  TO  THE  INCULCA- 
TION OF  RELIGION  AND  MORALITY 
I.   In  China 
HON.  CHESTER  HOLCOMBE 

FORMERLY   SECRETARY  OF  LEGATION    AND   ACTING    MINISTER,    PEKIN,    CHINA 

Chinese  and  American  systems  of  education  do  not  have  a  common 
purpose.  The  Oriental  teacher  does  not  seek  to  convey  information 
to  his  pupil.  Hence  he  needs  not  the  text-books  which  give  the  latest 
discoveries,  the  most  recent  researches,  the  most  modern  methods,  form- 
ulae, and  devices  in  all  the  wide  range  of  knowledge.  Intellectual  de- 
velopment even  is  not  the  main  object  of  Chinese  study.  In  point  of 
fact,  aside  from  learning  to  read  and  write,  the  cultivation  of  the  memory, 
the  art  of  versification,  style  in  composition,  in  which  the  Chinese  sur- 
pass the  entire  Western  World,  there  is  nothing  in  common  between  the 
American  and  Chinese  ideas  or  methods  of  education.  In  the  Chinese 
schools  no  mathematics  and  no  sciences,  however  rudimentary,  are 
taught,  nor  any  language,  aside  from  the  national  tongue.  Such  stray  bits 
of  history  and  geography,  often  inaccurate,  as  are  found  in  the  various 
text-books  are  there  quite  incidentally,  and  only  because  they  serve  to 
illustrate  or  enforce  some  other  point,  deemed  of  far  higher  importance 
to  the  student.  The  answer  to  the  question  which  forms  the  subject 
of  this  paper,  What  are  the  Chinese  Customs  of  Inculcating  MoraHty  ? 
can  be  given  in  a  single  line.  The  entire  system  and  course  of  Chinese 
education  is  devoted  to  instruction  in  civic  and  social  ethics.  The  govern- 
mental examinations  are  shaped  exclusively  to  that  end.  Not  to  com- 
municate knowledge  or  learning,  but  to  mold  character;  not  to  make 
men  smart,  but  good;  to  instil  right  principles  of  action  and  conduct; 
to  teach  each  his  relations  and  duties  to  his  fellow,  —  is  the  primary  and 
final  purpose  of  the  school  in  China.  Hence  revised  editions  of  modem 
text-books  are  hardly  needed.  A  careful  study  of  the  ethical  system 
taught  will  show  that  it  is  sound,  pure,  and  good. 

It  is  necessary  now  to  examine  very  briefly  the  character  of  the 
moral  instruction,  and  in  doing  so,  the  accuracy  of  the  assertion  just 
made  will  be  evident. 

The  first  book,  or  primer,  invariably  used  in  Chinese  schools  is  called 
the  San  Sz  Ching,  or  Trimetrical  Classic.  It  was  prepared  by  a  teacher 
in  A.  D,  1050,  for  use  in  his  school,  and  may  be  bought  in  any  village 
in  the  empire  for  about  two  cents.     It  is  in  poetry,  or  doggerel,  and 

267 


268  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

contains  1068  words.  It  has  been  translated  into  Latin,  French,  Ger- 
man, Russian,  Portuguese,  and  Enghsh,  and  a  paraphrase  of  it  is  used 
by  the  Protestant,  Roman,  and  Greek  Catholic  missionaries,  in  their 
schools  in  China.  Carefully  translated  quotations  will  best  show  its 
character.     The  first  few  lines  run  as  follows: 

"  Men  at  their  birth,  are  by  nature  radically  good.  Though  alike 
in  this,  in  practice  they  widely  diverge. 

"  If  not  educated  the  natural  character  degenerates. 

"  A  course  of  education,  is  made  valuable  by  close  attention. 

"  To  nurture,  and  not  educate,  is  a  father's  error.  " 

Near  the  center  of  the  little  volume  is  found  a  summary  of  moral 
duties  which  must  be  given  here. 

"  Mutual  affection  of  father  and  son;  concord  of  man  and  wife. 

"  The  elder  brothers,  kindness;  the  younger  ones,  respect. 

"  Order  between  seniors  and  juniors;  friendship  among  associates. 

"  On  the  part  of  the  prince,  regard;  on  that  of  his  minister,  true 
loyalty, 

"  These  ten  moral  duties  are  ever  binding  among  men." 

This  ancient  text-book  has  been  committed  to  memory  by  countless 
millions  of  Chinese  children. 

Other  text -books  in  the  preliminary  course  of  study  resemble  closely 
the  San  Sz  Ching,  though  having  a  wider  range.  The  productions  of 
nature,  virtues  of  the  early  rulers,  the  power  and  capacities  of  man,  his 
social  duties  and  mode  of  conduct,  with  many  and  minute  instruction 
in  the  proper  manner  of  life,  —  all  are  concisely  dealt  with,  and  illustrated 
with  examples.  Quotations  from  two  only  will  be  given.  "  Observe 
and  imitate  the  conduct  of  the  virtuous,  and  command  your  thoughts 
that  you  may  be  wise.  Your  virtue  once  established,  your  reputation 
will  be  formed;  your  habits  once  rectified,  your  example  will  be  good. 
A  cubit  of  jade  stone  is  not  to  be  valued,  but  an  inch  of  time  you  should 
contend  for."  Another  volume,  called  the  Hsiao  Ching,  or  Classic  of 
Filial  Piety,  has  had  an  immense  and  lasting  influence  upon  the  Chinese 
race.  The  last  of  the  primary  books  treats  of  the  principles  of  education ; 
the  duties  we  owe  our  rulers,  kindred,  and  fellow-men;  those  which 
we  owe  to  ourselves  in  regard  to  study,  demeanor,  food,  and  dress; 
and  gives  many  examples  from  the  earliest  times  down  to  two  and 
one  half  centuries  before  Christ,  of  the  observance  of  the  lessons  taught 
in  the  book,  and  the  good  effects  which  have  resulted  therefrom. 

Following  upon  the  primary  course  comes  the  academic,  the  body 
of  Chinese  education.  And  now  we  reach  the  most  conspicuous  figure 
in  the  history  and  affairs  of  the  empire,  the  sage  and  statesman, 


THE  INCULCATION  OF  RELIGION  AND  MORALITY      269 

Confucius.  He  represents,  he  was  the  embodiment,  of  a  force  which, 
more  than  other,  probably  more  than  all  others  combined,  has  shaped  the 
institutions  of  China,  controlled  the  policy  of  the  government,  deter- 
mined the  character  and  destiny  of  the  race.  For  more  than  two  thou- 
sand years  he  has  been  final  authority  in  all  matters,  public  and  private, 
to  a  nation  which  to-day  numbers  more  than  four  hundred  millions.  Let 
any  one  interested  in  the  problem  determine  the  aggregate  population 
of  China  in  that  long  stretch  of  time,  and  he  will  see  to  what  an  enormous 
mass  of  humanity  Confucius  has  been  leader,  guide,  and  master.  Nor 
is  there  any  sufficient  indication  of  the  decadence  of  his  authority.  He 
is  still  the  moving  and  steadying  spirit  which  dominates  the  Chinese  race. 

The  academic  department  of  the  educational  course  consists  of  nine 
books.  These  are  called  among  the  Chinese  the  Wu  Ching  Sz  Shu,  or 
Five  Classics,  and  Four  Books,  and  are  commonly  known  to  the  Western 
World  as  the  Confucius  Classics.  The  system  of  instruction  is  identical 
with  that  pursued  in  the  primary  course.  Each  character  or  word  must 
be  thoroughly  memorized, —  there  are  at  least  half  a  million  of  them, — 
and  each  student  must  learn  to  read  and  write  them,  and  to  expound 
their  meaning,  which  naturally  includes  the  ability  to  prepare  essays 
upon  any  passages  found  in  them.  This  work  completed,  and  the  test- 
ing examinations  passed  to  the  satisfaction  of  the  government,  his  stu- 
dent days  are  ended.  He  is  the  educated  and  polished  gentleman, 
fit  for  the  highest  service  and  honor  within  the  gift  of  the  Son  of  Heaven. 
Such,  for  many  centuries,  has  been  the  scholastic  itinerary  of  Chinese 
youth,  and  they  have  labored  through  its  clouds,  and  fogs,  and  mazes, 
up  towards  the  glittering  stars  which  have  crowned  their  ambition. 

Confucius  was  not  the  founder  or  teacher  of  any  religious  system. 
He  personally  and  emphatically  repudiated  any  such  idea.  He  was 
the  author,  or  as  he  himself  would  have  said,  the  compiler  of  a  sys- 
tem of  political  and  social  ethics,  or  code  of  morals.  His  one  ambition 
was  to  be  chosen  by  some  prince  who  would  follow  his  instructions  in 
the  management  of  public  affairs.  He  was  disappointed  in  this,  and 
hence  to  the  end  regarded  his  life  as  a  failure.  It  is  manifestly  im- 
possible to  give  anything  which  approaches  even  a  cursory  review  of 
the  teachings  of  the  Confucian  ethical  system.  Fortunately,  this  is 
not  necessary.  There  are  three  characters,  or  words,  which  occur  so 
frequently  in  the  teachings  of  this  great  master,  upon  which  he  laid  so 
much  of  significance  and  stress  that,  taken  together,  they  make  plain 
the  foundation  and  frame-work  of  the  entire  fabric.  Understand  them 
as  he  understood  them,  and  you  will  know  Confucianism  as  the  mas- 
ter knew  it. 


270  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

The  first  and  most  important  of  these  words  is  "li.^'  It  may  be 
termed  the  bedrock  upon  which  rests  the  entire  system  of  social  and 
civic  morality,  as  taught  by  the  Chinese  sage.  It  is  constantly  in  the 
mouth  of  every  Chinaman  to-day,  as  it  has  been  for  many  centuries, 
as  the  final  criterion  and  authority  discriminating  between  right  and 
wrong.  It  is  commonly  mistranslated,  and  out  of  this  has  grown  a 
sweeping  condemnation  of  the  entire  system.  It  has  been  inferred  that, 
with  Confucius,  everything  depended  upon  form,  that  if  the  external 
appearance  and  conduct  were  decorous  and  correct,  it  mattered  not 
what  the  internal  conditions  might  be.  Nothing  could  be  further  from 
the  fact.  This  Chinese  character  means  far  more  than  ceremony  or 
ritual.  Probably  the  nearest  equivalent  phrase  to  "li"  in  our  tongue 
is  "  The  principle  of  correct  living."  It  is  the  primary  and  ultimate 
law  of  right  action,  and  implies  doing  the  right  thing  at  the  right  time, 
in  the  right  way,  and  from  the  right  motive.  No  moral  training,  based 
upon  this  word  and  enforcing  the  constant  practice  of  it,  can  be  far 
wrong. 

The  second  clue-word  to  the  Confucian  ethical  system  was  given 
by  the  master  in  conversation.  Being  asked  if  there  was  any  one  word 
which  would  serve  as  a  rule  of  action  in  all  the  relations  of  life,  he  replied, 
"Is  not  'shu'  such  a  word?"  Then,  fortunately,  he  added  an  ex- 
planation to  his  meaning  by  giving  this  interpretation  of  the  Golden 
Rule,  "  What  you  do  not  wish  that  others  should  do  unto  you,  do 
not  unto  them."  This  Chinese  character  has  also  been  dwarfed  in  ordi- 
nary translations  into  "  reciprocity,"  or  "  give  and  take."  It  includes 
immensely  more  than  that,  and  means  consideration,  charity,  forbear- 
ance, thoughtfulness  for  others,  and  mutuality  of  rights  and  interests. 

A  third  word  which  played  a  conspicuous  part  in  the  Confucian  conver- 
sations, and  which,  correctly  interpreted,  will  furnish  an  important  key 
to  his  meaning,  is  "  Chun  Tz.''  Here  again  Sinologues  have  been  much 
at  loss  for  a  proper  translation .  They  have  called  it  the  "  princely  man , " 
the  "superior  man,"  the  "  mean"  (or  moderate)  man,  and  by  a  variety 
of  other  phrases.  It  is  quite  evident  from  many  descriptive  remarks 
that  by  "  Chun  Tz"  the  Sage  meant  the  ideal  man,  the  perfected  type 
of  manhood.  And  while  hunting  far  afield,  and  finding  only  a  misfit 
phrase,  these  translations  have  overlooked  one  close  at  home,  which 
fully  conveys  the  idea  of  the  master.  The  "  gentleman,"  in  the  highest, 
truest,  broadest  meaning  and  practice  of  that  word,  is  the  modern  type 
of  the  Confucian  "  Chun  Tz." 

The  teachings  of  Confucius  were  elevated  and  pure,  free  from  word 
or  idea  which  might  possibly  corrupt  the  thoughts  of  men.     He  gave 


THE  INCULCATION  OF  RELIGION  AND  MORALITY      271 

the  most  minute  and  varied  instructions  for  the  nurture  and  education 
of  children,  laid  the  utmost  stress  upon  filial  duty,  and  prescribed  de- 
tailed rules  of  courtesy  and  conduct  for  the  government  of  all  ranks 
and  classes.  The  principal  figure  in  all  of  his  instructions  was  the 
"  Chun  Tz,''  or  gentleman,  and  no  higher  type  may  be  produced  by 
any  code  or  system  of  ethical  teaching.  Dignity,  moderation,  self-re- 
straint, fortitude,  and  sincerity  were  to  be  his  characteristics,  and  the 
Golden  Rule  the  law  of  his  intercourse  with  his  fellows.  It  is  reasonable 
to  believe  that  such  moral  training,  if  faithfully  pursued  and  enforced, 
will  carry  humanity  as  high  in  the  scale  of  being  as  it  can  be  lifted, 
without  an  appeal  to  those  other  and  higher  ties  of  his  spiritual  nature, 
which  connect  each  man  directly  with  God. 


II.     In  India 
REV,  ROBERT  A.  HUME,  D.D. 

PRESIDENT  AHMEDNAGAR  THEOLOGICAL   SEMINARy,    AHMEDNAGAR,    INDIA 

Of  the  two  hundred  and  ninety-four  millions  of  India  and  Burma 
reported  in  the  government  census  of  1901,  sixty-two  millions  were  Mo- 
hammedans. The  masses  of  them  are  iUiterate,  and  receive  compara- 
tively little  instruction  in  religion  or  morals,  save  that  every  social  ar- 
rangement of  Islam  teaches  that  God  is  one;  that  idolatry  is  offensive 
to  him;  that  Mohammed  is  the  great  prophet  of  God;  that  the  Koran 
is  the  sacred  book;  and  that  certain  requirements  about  circumcision, 
fasting,  and  the  observance  of  certain  seasons  must  be  carefully  regarded. 
Among  the  higher  and  educated  sections  of  Mohammedans,  well-to-do 
families  receive  a  good  deal  of  careful  training  through  religious  teachers. 
Strict  Mohammedans  are  careful  to  send  their  children  only  to  schools 
where  the  Koran  is  taught.  Strict  Mohammedan  women  are  careful 
to  compel  the  members  of  their  households  to  follow  ceremonial  re- 
quirements of  their  faith. 

This  paper  will  mainly  describe  the  customs  of  inculcating  religion 
and  morals  among  the  two  hundred  and  seven  millions  who  were  re- 
turned in  the  census  as  Hindoos.  The  majority  of  these  are  largely 
uneducated  as  to  books,  yet  some  instruction  about  conduct  and  religion 
is  given  among  them.  If  the  word  "  moral  "  in  our  subject  were  meant 
to  be  a  synonym  of  highly  ethical,  or  as  giving  principles  of  right  and 
wrong,  then  the  statement  must  be  made  that  there  is  very  little  such 
instruction  among  any  class  of  Hindoos.  In  no  religious  community 
of  a  primitive  or  moderately  developed  character  is  morality,  as  such, 
much  taught  or  emphasized.  The  principal  matter  in  all  such  religions 
is  ceremonial  purity  and  correctness. 


2  72  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

Imitation  of  elders  is  the  principal  way  of  inculcating  religion  and 
morals  in  India.  In  hundreds  of  thousands  of  villages  there  is  only 
one  person  who  is  supposed  to  be  a  religious  guide  and  responsible  for 
explaining  and  enjoining  religious  ideas  and  customs  upon  the  people 
of  the  village.  And  the  main  thing  which  that  holy  man  does  is  to 
perform  with  considerable  exactness  what  are  deemed  religious  practices, 
and  to  see  that  the  idols  and  shrines  are  properly  looked  after.  Hence, 
imitation  of  the  religious  customs  of  caste  and  community  is  the  principal 
way  in  which  the  middle  castes,  who  are  mainly  farmers  and  artisans, 
know  anything  of  rehgion.  There  is  a  large  number  of  days  in  the 
year  which  are  specifically  set  apart  for  the  observance  of  certain  reli- 
gious events.  These  dates  are  given  in  the  calendar  and  are  usually  con- 
nected with  easily  remembered  astronomical  occurrences.  On  the  feast 
days  the  community  as  a  whole,  especially  the  women,  follow  certain 
traditional  practices  about  bathing  and  feasting  and  fasting,  and  large 
numbers  go  to  the  shrines  and  temples.  In  connection  with  such  small 
religious  gatherings  at  sacred  shrines  there  is  often  some  person,  who 
has  a  group  of  singers  associated  with  him,  who  reads  or  sings  or  tells 
some  stories  from  the  religious  books.  Many  people  sit  and  hear  these 
recitations  by  the  hour.  Also,  on  moonlight  evenings  there  are  often 
such  recitations  from  sacred  books.  The  masses  get  most  of  their  knowl- 
edge of  religious  ideas  and  stories  from  such  occasions.  And  when  people 
go  in  crowds  on  great  pilgrimages,  then  each  night,  as  the  company  stops 
en  route,  and  after  reaching  the  place  of  pilgrimage,  they  listen  to  men 
who  read  or  sing  or  tell  the  substance  of  the  epics  or  Puranas  and  other 
books.  At  those  great  gatherings  there  are  persons  whose  profession 
it  is  to  direct  the  pilgrims  what  to  do  ceremonially,  and  to  perform  on 
them  those  rites  which  are  supposed  to  be  efficacious,  and  the  efficacy 
of  which  depends  mainly  on  the  correctness  with  which  everything  is 
performed.  But  the  pilgrims  come  away  with  injured  morals,  due  to 
the  extortions  or  immoralities  which  abound  at  all  so-called  sacred 
places. 

Using  the  word  "  morals  "  as  the  recognition  and  doing  of  things 
which  are  a  considerable  part  of  daily  life,  and  which  affect  the  character 
and  welfare  of  men,  the  first  important  point  to  mention  is  that  the 
inculcation  of  good  habits  for  the  life  of  the  masses  of  Hindoos  depends 
mainly  on  the  women.  The  duty  and  practice  of  industry  is  instilled 
from  early  childhood  into  the  very  bone  and  fiber  of  thought  and  life  by 
the  habits  of  the  community  and  the  home,  and  by  the  compulsions  of 
difficulty  in  making  an  existence.  In  connection  with  industry,  the 
simple  habits  of  the  farmer's  household  require  regularity  of  life.     The 


THE  INCULCATION  OF  RELIGION  AND  MORALITY      273 

minuteness  and  comprehensive  character  of  caste  requirements  make 
obedience  to  elders  and  society  an  easy  and  common  virtue.  The 
division  of  the  community  into  strata,  each  of  which  has  its  recognized 
grade,  promotes  regard  for  social  order  and  reverence  toward  acknowl- 
edged superiors.  Under  purely  Oriental  civilization,  criticism  of  the 
social  order  is  useless  and  uncommon,  and  duty  is  taught  to  be  quietly 
filling  one's  appointed  station  in  life.  Modesty  is  an  ornament  to  the 
average  Hindoo  woman,  and  is  developed  by  the  social  law  which  al- 
lows young  and  middle-aged  women  to  have  little  intercourse  even  with 
the  men  of  their  own  households.  Economy  is  carefully  and  systemati- 
cally taught,  because  from  very  early  childhood  all  girls,  and  to  some 
extent  Httle  boys,  are  associated  with  the  women  who  manage  the  house- 
hold affairs.  There  is  careful  estimating  the  exact  amount  of  grain 
and  of  all  condiments  required  for  every  meal  and  for  every  expenditure. 
Exactness  of  thought  and  speech,  and  care  in  making  and  keeping  prom- 
ises, are  not  cultivated  or  highly  appreciated.  Exuberant  imagination 
causes  exuberance  of  speech,  which  often  seems  to  Occidentals  flagrant 
disregard  of  truth.  But,  barring  testimony  in  litigation,  the  average 
man  in  India  does  not  intentionally  deceive,  nor  is  he  deemed  untruth- 
ful by  those  who  know  what  his  language  means. 

Turning  now  to  the  small  but  influential  section  of  the  Indian  people 
who  are  Brahmans,  and  members  of  a  few  other  of  the  higher  castes, 
one  finds  that  much  pains  are  taken  in  inculcating  religion  and  ceremonial 
morality  in  that  community.  Here,  especially,  reUgion  and  morality 
are  synonymous,  and  they  cover  every  detail  of  life.  It  may  surprise 
many  to  know  that  here,  too,  the  inculcation  of  religion  and  moraUty  is 
mainly  done  by  women,  so  far  as  this  does  not  depend  upon  books. 
The  united  family,  in  which  three  or  four  generations  live  together  and 
share  all  responsibilities  and  privileges,  is  the  typical  family  life  in 
India.  See  a  picture  of  the  home  life  of  such  a  family.  From  earliest 
years  children  see  that  parents  and  grandparents  and  all  the  members 
of  the  household  are  scrupulous  about  what  are  esteemed  religious  duties. 
Even  in  cold  weather  every  one  carefully  bathes  more  than  once  a  day. 
Many  rise  before  dawn  and  go  to  bathe  in  streams.  When  the  women 
cook,  they  carefully  change  their  garments.  Even  little  children,  unless 
ceremonially  clean,  are  not  allowed  to  go  near  or  touch  the  cooks.  When- 
ever the  men  eat  food,  they  bathe  carefully  and  change  their  dress. 
After  every  meal  the  floor  is  cleaned  in  the  regulation  way.  The  me- 
tallic dishes  are  scoured  and  placed  in  order.  Careful  restrictions  are 
placed  on  the  sources  from  which  water  is  brought.  When  the  boys 
play  or  go  to  school,  they  are  scrupulous  about  not  having  their  persons 


2  74  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

or  garments  touched,  even  accidentally,  by  any  one  who  is  not  cere- 
monially clean.  Great  conscientiousness  is  developed  as  to  fasting  and 
feasting  and  the  observance  of  sacred  occasions.  When  sickness  and 
death  enter  the  household ,  additional  responsibilities  are  incurred .  Obe- 
dience is  a  virtue  which  is  inculcated  and  developed  by  the  assumptions 
and  atmosphere  of  the  home  and  of  society.  As  girls  grow  older,  they 
are  largely  confined  to  assigned  quarters  of  the  united  family,  and  are 
not  expected  to  speak  with  the  males  except  under  restrictions.  Modesty 
is  effectively  taught.  From  very  early  days  girls  are  taught  industry  by 
being  required  to  do  as  much  as  they  can  in  the  various  lines  of  domestic 
economy.  Thus  the  average  Brahman  woman  becomes  a  good  cook 
and  a  good  housekeeper,  and  has  careful  training  for  her  position  in  life. 
All  girls  and  little  boys  go  daily  with  their  mothers  to  the  shrines  for 
the  performance  of  certain  religious  rites.  At  home  they  share  in  the 
care  of  the  tulasi  plant  and  in  serving  the  idols  in  the  home.  When 
the  family  priest  visits  the  home,  the  women  and  girls  sometimes  attend 
and  notice  the  rites  which  the  priest  performs.  It  is  pre-eminently  Hin- 
doo women  who  inculcate  the  Hindoo  religion  by  repeating  religious 
stories  which  they  have  heard,  and  by  requiring  all  female  members  of 
the  household  and  the  younger  boys  to  perform  religious  ceremonies 
and  to  observe  sacred  seasons  in  the  prescribed  manner. 

The  fathers  of  the  higher  castes  do  something  in  the  training  of  their 
sons  in  religion  and  morals.  Boys  associate  with  their  fathers,  and  thus 
learn  to  imitate  the  various  religious  acts  of  men.  Usually,  between 
the  ages  of  six  and  eight,  boys  of  the  higher  castes  go  through  a  service 
of  initiation,  and  are  invested  with  a  sacred  cord,  after  which  they  are 
taught  to  read  sacred  books  and  are  permitted  to  read  and  learn 
about  various  religious  doctrines.  From  this  time  on  many  boys  go  to 
schools,  in  which  they  are  taught  a  good  deal  about  religion  and  conduct. 
In  households  where  special  care  is  practised,  even  little  boys  are  awa- 
kened before  davm  and  set  to  reading  sacred  books.  They  usually  read 
these  aloud.  Sometimes  the  tufts  of  their  hair  are  tied  by  .strings  to  a 
nail  or  hook  in  the  wall  to  keep  sleepy  heads  from  nodding.  Purely 
indigenous  customs  among  Brahmans  required  a  boy  soon  after  being 
initiated  to  leave  home  and  to  go  and  live  with  a  religious  teacher  for  a 
period  of  years.  This  practice  is  comparatively  rare  nowadays.  To 
some  extent  in  the  village  schools  and  in  higher  institutions,  the  Hindoo 
religion  and  Hindoo  morality  are  taught  to  boys.  A  Hindoo  college 
has  been  organized  at  Benares,  under  the  leadership  of  Mrs.  Annie 
Besant,  to  teach  Hindooism  much  on  the  lines  of  higher  institutions  in 
Christian  countries.     Were  the  characteristic  institutions  of  learning 


THE  INCULCATION  OF  RELIGION  AND  MORALITY      275 

in  India  succeeding  in  teaching  the  Hindoo  religion  to  the  rising  gene- 
ration, this  new  effort  would  not  have  been  attempted. 

The  strong  points  in  Indian  customs  of  inculcating  rehgion  and 
morals  are,  that  obedience,  reverence,  and  conscientiousness  are  taught 
in  all  sections  of  the  community  by  leading  the  individual  from  child- 
hood to  do  those  things  which  are  required  by  his  religion;  that  the 
arrangement  of  society  helps  boys  and  girls  from  early  childhood  to 
form  their  conduct  according  to  the  requirements  of  the  spheres  in  which 
they  are  to  Uve;  that  with  very  limited  resources  in  books  and  schools 
a  considerable  degree  of  success  is  attained  in  securing  that  which  is 
thus  aimed  at.  These  are  points  in  which  the  more  intelligent  people 
of  the  West  might  well  learn  something  from  the  customs  of  India.  In 
no  community  will  adequate  success  be  attained  in  religion  or  morals 
where  parents  and  elders  depend  mainly  on  teaching  through  books 
or  even  oral  instruction,  without,  first,  themselves  practising,  at  home 
and  in  all  relations  of  society,  that  which  their  theory  of  religion  and 
morals  requires;  and  secondly,  in  continuously  and  absolutely  requiring 
all  the  members  of  the  household  from  early  childhood  to  conform  their 
conduct  to  the  teaching  which  they  profess  to  accept.  •"  i 


IX.    TEACHER-TRAINING 


THE  TRAINING  OF  SUNDAY  SCHOOL  TEACHERS 

The  Sunday   School   Teacher-training  Accomplished  by  the 
Hartford  School  of  Religious  Pedagogy 

DEAN  EDWARD  HOOKER  KNIGHT 

HARTFORD  SCHOOL  OF  RELIGIOUS  PEDAGOGY,  HARTFORD,  CONNECTICUT 

What  is  the  Hartford  School  of  Religious  Pedagogy  attempting  in 
the  training  of  Sunday  school  teachers  ?  Put  in  one  sentence,  the  ans- 
wer would  be,  It  is  seeking  to  give  a  thorough  preparation  for  the  teach- 
ing ministry.  In  the  position  of  the  religious  teacher,  it  recognizes  a 
sacred  office,  no  less  sacred  and  no  less  important  than  that  of  the 
ordained  ministry  itself.  To  those  who  would  enter  upon  the  duties 
of  this  office  it  seeks  to  give  a  training  which  shall  be  adequate  in  its 
thoroughness  of  preparation  for  the  duties  involved.  For  twenty  years 
it  has  been  striving  to  fulfill  this  mission.  During  this  time  the  work 
has  constantly  been  enlarging  in  its  scope,  but  has  not  changed  in  its 
fundamental  principles.  The  work  which  is  now  being  attempted 
is,  therefore,  the  fruit  of  a  long  experience.  To  explain  this  work  it 
is  necessary  to  state  principles  as  well  as  plans  and  methods. 

The  first  thing  to  be  determined  by  religious  educators  is  the  su- 
preme end  they  have  in  view.  This  the  Hartford  School  of  Religious 
Pedagogy  finds  in  the  development  of  the  well-rounded  personality, 
of 'which  the  most  important  element  is  Christian  character.  Not 
what  the  boys  and  girls  know,  nor  what  they  can  do,  but  what  they 
become,  is  the  one  all-important  question. 

Sunday  schools  exist  in  order  to  help  all,  both  young  and  old,  to 
become  more  like  Jesus  Christ. 

By  the  side  of  this  educational  principle,  the  Hartford  School  of 
Religious  Pedagogy  would  place  another,  that  the  chief  means  by  which 
this  supreme  end  is  to  be  reached  is,  again,  personality,  or  Christian 
character.  Like  begets  like.  Certainly,  the  most  essential  qualifi- 
cation of  the  Christian  teacher  is  Christian  character.  He  must  be 
saying  by  his  life,  Come,  let  us  journey  toward   the   goal   together. 

Tributary  to  this  dominant  power  are  many  means  which  the  Chris- 
tian teacher  may  use  both  for  the  development  of  his  own  personality 
and  in  his  work  for  others.  Among  these  are  four  fields  of  distinctive 
value.     These  four  the  Hartford  school  is  seeking  to  develop  in  their 

276 


THE  TRAINING  OF  SUNDAY  SCHOOL  TEACHERS        277 

relations  to  the  great  problem  of  giving  a  thorough  training  to  the 
teaching  ministry.  They  are  the  Bible,  as  the  incomparable  text- 
book in  rehgion  and  morals;  Psychology,  which  shows  us  what  the 
human  being  is  and  how  he  develops;  the  Home,  as  providing  the 
chief  environment  in  which  the  child  develops  and  as  being  the  most 
important  element  in  the  Hfe  of  society;  and  Pedagogy,  which,  both 
as  a  science  and  as  an  art,  seeks  to  make  the  best  use  possible  of  all 
this  material  for  the  development  of  the  child  in  his  full  personality. 

Sufficient  progress  has  already  been  made  in  all  these  fields,  so  that 
material  of  great  helpfulness  is  available  even  to  the  humblest  teacher; 
so  much  land  yet  remains  to  be  possessed  as  to  demand  the  most  lavish 
use  of  time  and  strength  on  the  part  of  many  in  exploring  the  un- 
known fields.  This  school  stands  for  the  wise  use  of  assured  results, 
and  for  that  patient  and  thorough  investigation  which  will  yield  even 
greater  results  m  the  future.  It  beUeves,  also,  that  there  should  be 
three  distinguishing  characteristics  of  study  here,  whether  it  be  by  the 
average  teacher  or  by  the  most  expert  specialists.  The  study  of  the 
Bible,  or  of  Psychology,  or  of  the  Home,  or  of  Pedagogy,  should  be 
spiritual,  scientific,  and  practical;  spiritual,  in  that  it  should  be  under- 
taken in  dependence  upon  divine  guidance  through  the  Holy  Spirit, 
should  have  chief  regard  to  the  great  essential  truths  in  the  field  con- 
cerned, and  should  have  its  primary  effect  upon  the  student  in  growth 
of  character;  scientific,  in  that  it  should  be  conducted  according  to 
well-estabUshed  principles  and  methods  of  investigation;  and  practical, 
in  that  it  should  pursue  those  subjects  which  are  of  the  highest 
importance  and  of  the  greatest  benefit  to  those  concerned. 

In  all  of  these  fields  this  institution  would  direct  the  attention  of 
the  reUgious  teacher  to  the  life  and  work  of  Jesus  of  Nazareth,  which, 
besides  furnishmg  a  perfect  model  of  what  religious  education  desires 
to  accomphsh,  also  presents  the  best  illustration  of  the  chief  means 
which  it  must  employ.  In  the  attitude  of  Jesus  toward  the  Old  Testa- 
ment, his  study  of  it,  and  use  of  the  results  of  his  study,  is  the  model 
for  the  Christian  teacher  in  his  use  of  the  Bible;  in  that  home  at  Naza- 
reth, humble  as  it  was,  were  the  essential  elements  of  the  ideal  home; 
what  human  nature  is,  both  in  childhood  and  maturity,  and  what  it 
may  become,  we  learn  best  from  Jesus'  study  of  human  nature,  and 
from  what  he  was,  as  child  and  man;  how  to  teach,  one  may  certainly 
best  learn  from  companionship  with  the  Master  Teacher.  As  Jesus 
is  supreme  in  personality,  so  is  he  supreme  in  those  fields  which  bring 
the  most  important  contributions  that  may  anywhere  be  found  for  the 
development  of  the  personality. 

All  that  has  thus  far  been  said  has  appHcation  to  all  workers  in 


2  78  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

the  field  of  religious  education.  But  for  the  same  reason  all  has  most 
emphatic  application  to  those  who  would  be  leaders  in  this  field.  The 
training  of  such  leaders  is  the  most  distinctive  feature  in  what  the 
Hartford  School  is  doing  for  the  training  of  Sunday  school  teachers. 
The  rank  and  file  of  the  army  of  Sunday  school  workers  will  receive 
their  training  and  their  inspiration  largely  from  the  various  leaders 
with  whom  they  come  in  contact.  The  churches  are  calling  more  and 
more  loudly  for  young  men  and  women  of  high  ability  and  thorough 
professional  training,  who  shall  enter  this  field  of  the  Sunday  school 
as  a  life-work.  The  demand  is  far  greater  than  the  supply.  There 
is  also  a  growing  feeling  on  the  part  of  churches  that  ministers  them- 
selves should  be  thoroughly  equipped  along  these  lines  of  religious 
education.  To  meet  both  these  needs  the  Hartford  School  offers  an 
advanced  course  which  is  open  only  to  college  graduates,  which  gives 
three  years  of  professional  training,  and  which  leads  to  the  degree  of 
Bachelor  of  Religious  Pedagogy.  By  its  own  courses  of  study  and  by 
its  afl&liation  with  the  Hartford  Theological  Seminary  it  covers  ail 
branches  of  the  preparation  necessary  for  successful  professional  leader- 
ship in  this  field.  A  training  like  this  must  be  had  by  many  if  the 
church  is  to  make  even  a  beginning  in  meeting  the  opportunities  open 
to  it  in  religious  education. 

There  are  other  fields  which  require  leaders,  but  where  so  extended 
a  course  of  educational  preparation  is  not  necessary.  This  school 
therefore,  offers  also  a  three  years'  course,  which  is  open  to  graduates  of 
high  schools  and  normal  schools,  and  which  aims  to  prepare  both  young 
men  and  women  for  the  many  salaried  positions  in  the  lay  work  of  the 
church,  where  teaching  is  a  distinctive  but  not  the  sole  feature.  Such 
are  to  be  leaders  in  their  respective  positions,  though  not  in  so  large 
fields  as  the  preceding. 

In  order  also  to  meet  directly  something  of  its  obligation  toward  the 
great  body  of  Sunday  school  workers,  this  institution  offers  a  one  year's 
course  for  volunteer  church  workers  to  which  any  one  may  be  ad- 
mitted who  is  recommended  by  pastor  or  superintendent. 

These  various  courses  constitute  a  fully  graded  system,  which  has 
in  view  both  the  average  Sunday  school  teacher,  who  wishes  light  and 
guidance,  but  who  has  little  opportunity  for  special  study,  and  also  the 
young  man  or  young  woman,  with  an  extended  general  educational 
preparation  already,  who  wishes  to  obtain  the  highest  and  best  special 
equipment  possible.  To  meet  the  needs  of  both  these  classes,  and 
of  all  between, — nothing  less  than  this  is  what  the  Hartford  School  of 
Religious  Pedagogy  is  striving  to  accomplish  in  the  training  of  Sun- 
day school  teachers. 


THE  TRAINING  OF  SUNDAY  SCHOOL  TEACHERS        279 

The  Sunday  School  Teacher-Training  Accomplished  by  the 
Institute  and  Training  School  of  Young  Men's  Christian 
Associations 

JOHN  W.  HANSEL 

PRESIDENT  OF  THE  INSTITUTE  AND  TRAINING  SCHOOL  OF  YOUNG  MEN'S 
CHRISTIAN  ASSOCIATIONS,  CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS 

It  is  the  purpose  of  this  paper  to  repoft  on  some  of  the  ways  in 
which  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Associations  and  the  Association 
Training  Schools  through  the  Associations,  are  contributing  toward  the 
training  of  lay  Bible  teachers. 

The  Institute  and  Training  School  is  not  a  school  for  the  training 
of  Sunday  school  teachers.  Its  contribution  to  teacher-training  is, 
therefore,  an  indirect  one — a  sort  of  by-product,  as  it  were. 

The  purpose  of  the  Association  Training  School  is  the  enlistment 
and  training  of  men  for  the  general  secretaryship  and  the  physical  and 
other  directorships  of  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Associations. 

The  general  secretary  of  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association 
is  not  primarily  a  teacher,  but  an  organizer  and  director  of  forces  in  a 
world-wide  Christian  movement.  The  aim  of  the  movement  is.  the 
salvation  and  fourfold  development  of  young  men.  The  training  of 
the  secretary  proceeds  upon  the  principle  that  physical,  intellectual, 
social,  and  moral  instruction  must  be  co-ordinated  with  spiritual  develop- 
ment in  the  building  of  the  symmetrical  man. 

One  of  the  most  important  and  effective  of  the  association  activities 
to-day  is  its  Bible-study  department.  There  has  been  a  phenomenal 
growth  in  this  department  of  association  effort  during  the  past  decade. 
One  hundred  and  thirty-two  associations  report  an  increase  over  last 
year  of  448  classes,  enrolling  6,312  students;  an  increase  per  associa- 
tion of  more  than  three  classes  and  nearly  50  students.  More  than 
60  associations  have  organized  teacher-training  classes.  One  asso- 
ciation conducts  a  class  for  teacher-training,  with  an  enrollment  of  40 
men  from  as  many  churches.  Each  member  of  the  class  conducts  a 
class  for  teacher-training  in  his  respective  church.  Another  associa- 
tion has  two  similar  classes  and  is  furnishing  quite  a  number  of 
teachers  for  the  churches.  Yet  another,  with  an  enrollment  of  more 
than  1,300  men  in  Bible  classes,  states  that  25  to  30  per  cent  of  the 
students  are  teaching  in  the  Sunday  schools,  shops,  and  homes  of  the  city. 

The  training  school  and  the  associations,  through  their  summer 
schools  for  college  students  and  for  volunteer  workers  in  city,  town,  and 
railroad  associations,  have  done  valuable  work  in  the  promotion  of 
Bible-study  and  in  training  Bible  teachers.     The  association  has  been 


28o  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

one  of  the  leading  factors  in  the  promotion  of  Bible-study  among  the 
students  in  our  institutions  of  higher  learning  during  the  past  twenty 
years.  The  association  Bible  classes  in  the  universities  and  colleges 
are  taught  by  students,  who  are  in  this  way  receiving  valuable  training 
as  teachers.  Many  of  these  young  men  continue  to  teach  the  Bible  in 
the  home  and  in  the  Sunday  school  after  they  have  entered  professional 
or  business  life. 

One  of  the  primary  aims  of  the  Institute  and  Training  School  is  to 
fit  its  students  for  the  organization  and  conduct  of  Bible-study  depart- 
ments in  the  associations.  In  planning  the  courses  of  study  in  the 
Bible-study  department,  while  the  subject  of  teacher-training  has  been 
given  an  important  place  in  the  thought  of  the  faculty,  the  controlling 
consideration  has  been  how  to  make  the  largest  possible  contribution 
toward  the  development  of  the  character  and  faith  of  the  secretary. 

In  its  Bible-study  the  school  deals  entirely  with  the  English  Bible, 
It  seeks  to  give  the  student,  first  of  all,  a  mastery  of  the  facts  of  the 
text;  to  make  him  acquainted  with  the  history  of  God's  dealings  with 
men  through  the  generations,  and  especially  his  revelation  to  man 
through  Jesus  Christ.  The  curricula,  as  at  present  planned,  offer 
to  men  looking  forward  to  managerial  positions  in  the  association  the 
following  Bible-work.  (AV  of  this  work  is  inductive,  us'ng  as  largely  as 
possible  the  Bible  itself  as  a  text.)  First,  a  course  of  20  hours  in  Bibli- 
cal introduction;  second,  a  course  of  60  hours  in  the  Gospels — the 
life  and  teachings  of  Jesus;  third,  a  course  of  30  hours  in  history  and 
literature  of  the  early  church,  with  an  additional  10  hours  in  the  teach- 
ings of  the  apostles;  fourth,  a  course  of  60  hours  in  Old  Testament 
history  and  literature;  fifth,  a  course  of  20  hours  in  personal  religious 
work.  It  is  the  aim  of  this  course  to  give  the  student  a  clear  knowledge 
of  the  essentials  of  the  Christian  faith,  and  to  inspire  and  direct  him 
in  religious  work  for  individuals;  sixth,  a  course  of  30  hours  in  induc- 
tive book  studies.  In  addition  to  these  courses  in  Bible -study,  there 
is  a  course  of  20  hours  in  Biblical  pedagogy;  a  course  of  60  hours  in 
church  history;  a  course  of  psychology  and  a  course  in  sociology,  each 
of  which  makes  valuable  contributions  toward  the  fitting  of  the  teacher. 
The  training  school  course,  as  a  whole,  equips  the  student  for  effi- 
cient service  as  a  normal  teacher  and  coach  to  lay  Bible  teachers  and 
leaders  in  Christian  work. 


THE  TRAINING  OF  SUNDAY  SCHOOL  TEACHERS        281 

The  Sunday  School  Teacher-Training  Accomplished  by  the 
Alberta  Sunday  School  Association 

CHARLES  HERBERT  HUESTIS,  M.A. 

PASTOR  MC  DOUG  ALL  METHODIST  CHURCH;  EDMONTON,  PRESIDENT  ALBERTA 
SUNDAY  SCHOOL  ASSOCIATION 

The  problem  of  religious  education  and  its  relation  to  education  in 
general,  the  problem  of  the  child  and  his  nature,  the  problem  of  the 
subject-matter  of  teaching  and  its  application  to  the  needs  of  the  child, 
and  the  problem  of  the  teacher's  own  personality,  seem  to  be  the  main 
things  to  be  taken  into  consideration  in  the  training  of  teachers.  When, 
however,  we  looked  abroad  for  something  that  might  serve  us  as  a  model, 
we  were  able  to  find  no  course  of  study  that  seemed  to  be  sufl&ciently 
broad  and  pedagogical  to  meet  our  needs.  The  following  scheme  was 
therefore  formulated: 

Ten  courses  of  study  are  offered  : 
I.  Introduction  to  the  Bible. 

II.  Child  Study  and  Teaching 

III.  Old  Testament  History.      (Half  course.) 

IV.  Old  Testament  Literature.     (Half  course.) 
V.  The  Prophets  of  Israel. 

VI.  The  Life  of  Christ. 

VII.  The  Founding  of  the  Christian  Church.     (Half  course.) 
VIII.  Modem  Missions.     (Half  course.) 

IX.  Paul's  Life  and  Letters. 
X.  Educational  Method. 

XI.  Primary  and  Junior  Course. 
XII.  Sunday   School   Methods. —  Superintendent's   Course. 

Students  who  desire  to  proceed  to  a  diploma  must  take  three  of  the 
above  courses  of  study.  Courses  I  and  II  are  required,  and  form  the 
major  of  every  graduate  course.  Courses  III  to  XII  are  elective, 
any  one  of  which  may  be  selected.  The  selected  course  shall  be  known 
as  the  student's  minor.  There  are  four  books  in  each  course,  and  as 
the  study  is  supposed  to  extend  over  the  space  of  two  years,  this  means 
that  six  books  are  to  be  read  each  year.  Of  course  the  student  may 
finish  the  reading  as  rapidly  as  he  please,  but  it  is  advised  that  at  least 
two  years  be  spent  in  the  reading.  There  are  no  regular  examinations; 
that  is  to  say,  no  papers  are  set.  But  the  student  is  required  to  give 
two  proofs  of  his  knowledge  of  the  nature  of  the  subjects,  and  his  abihty 
to  teach: 

I.  A  review  of  from  one  to  three  thousand  words,  according  to  the 
nature  of  the  subject,  upon  each  book  read. 


282  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

2.  On  completing  the  full  course  of  reading,  a  trial  at  teaching 
before  a  committee. 

The  educational  department  of  Alberta  Sunday  School  Association, 
in  adopting  this  plan  of  teacher-training,  believes  that  it  marks  a  distinct 
advance  upon  Sunday  school  normal  courses.  It  is,  we  believe,  the 
first  serious  attempt  on  the  part  of  an  association  to  provide  Sunday 
school  virorkers  with  a  curriculum  of  study  upon  truly  modern  lines,  that 
they  can  take  up  at  their  own  homes,  and  which  will  make  them,  in  so 
far  as  reading  can  do  so,  competent  teachers  of  the  Bible  to  children. 

The  following  items  of  excellence  may  be  noted: 

It  is  comprehensive.  The  required  courses  cover  the  whole  ground, 
while  the  electives  enable  the  student  to  specialize  on  some  subject  of 
particular  interest  and  importance. 

It  is  thorough  and  scholarly.  Nothing  short  of  mastery  of  the  books 
so  that  the  student  can  express  their  content  in  his  own  words  will  be 
accepted.  It  does  not  even  remotely  suggest  that  any  kind  of  outline 
course  of  child  study  and  the  Bible  will  do  for  teachers  in  the  Sunday 
school,  when  the  most  vigorous  application  is  necessary  to  qualify 
teachers  in  the  public  school. 

It  is  stimulating.  While  none  of  the  books  are  destructive  in  their 
nature,  all  are  in  sympathy  with  the  historical  study  of  the  Bible  and  the 
genetic  study  of  the  child.  The  text-books  are  the  best  that  can  be 
obtained  at  a  price  not  too  great  for  the  average  teacher,  and  have  been 
selected  after  consultation  with  leading  Bible  teachers  and  education- 
alists in  the  country. 

It  is  fair.  No  course  is  too  hard  for  the  average  person  of,  say, 
eighteen  years,  while  every  course  is  strong  enough  to  make  desultory 
study  unsatisfactory.  On  the  completion  of  his  graduate  course,  the 
student  will  have  a  knowledge  of  the  Bible  and  the  principles  of  educa- 
tion superior  to  most  of  his  fellows,  and  a  sense  of  fitness  that  will  be  an 
inspiration. 


THE  EDUCATION  REQUIRED  FOR  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 
TEACHERS 

The  Sunday  School  Teacher-Training  Accomplished  by  the 

Sunday  School  Union  of  the  Methodist 

Episcopal  Church 

JESSE  LYMAN  HURLBUT,  D.D. 

SUNDAY  SCHOOL  UNION  OF  THE  METHODIST  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH 

It  was  not  until  after  the  Civil  War  that  the  movement  for  the  training 
of  teachers  began  to  assume  importance.  A  public  school  principal  in 
Buffalo,  Mr.  J.  E.  Gilbert,  established  in  1865  a  monthly  paper  con- 
taining lessons  for  the  training  of  Sunday  school  teachers.  About  the 
same  time.  Dr.  John  H.  Vincent  began  holding  normal  classes  in  Chi- 
cago; and  in  the  year  1866  he  was  called  from  Chicago  to  New  York,  to 
take  part  in  the  supervision  of  the  Sunday  school  work  of  his  own 
church,  and  in  1868  he  was  made  secretary  of  the  Sunday  School 
Union.  He  at  once  formed  a  normal  committee,  and  planned  courses 
of  study  for  Sunday  school  teachers,  in  the  Bible  and  in  the  work  of 
teaching.  Under  his  direction,  institutes  and  conventions  were  held 
in  many  places,  classes  of  teachers  were  established,  and  a  regular 
course  of  lessons  was  instituted,  and  the  first  Chautauqua  assembly 
was  held  in  1874,  under  the  auspices  and  direction  of  the  Sunday  Schoo' 
Union  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 

The  Chautauqua  normal  course  has  been  recognized  from  the  be- 
ginning as  the  regular  course  for  the  training  of  teachers  under  the  di- 
rection of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  although  the  assembly 
soon  became  interdenominational  and  independent  from  the  office  of 
the  Sunday  School  Union  in  New  York.  Circulars  of  information  are 
sent,  written  examinations  are  given,  and  diplomas  are  conferred, 
while  at  the  same  time  the  same  course  is  carried  on  from  the  Chau- 
tauqua office.  The  number  of  those  who  study  the  courses  directly 
under  the  auspices  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  is  not  now  as 
great  as  it  was,  for  the  reason  that  the  teacher-training  has  of  late  years 
been  taken  up  by  the  various  state  Sunday  school  associations,  with 
all  their  complete  machinery  for  organization  and  local  supervision. 
The  aggregate  circulation  of  the  books  prepared  for  the  Chautauqua 
normal  courses  has  averaged  nearly  fifteen  thousand  every  year  for 
at  least  fifteen  years  past. 

The  plan  of  this  course  of  study  is  a  simple  one:   To  select  only  the 

283 


284  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

most  important  subjects,  those  that  are  essential  to  a  knowledge  of  the 
Bible  and  the  work  of  teaching;  to  prepare  studies  upon  them  that 
can  be  mastered  without  great  difficulty,  with  outlines  which  may  be 
placed  upon  the  blackboard,  and  thereby  appeal  to  the  eye,  and  to 
arrange  them  in  such  a  form  as  not  to  require  a  specialist  or  a  scholar 
to  teach  them,  for  in  the  necessities  of  the  work  the  instructors  as 
well  as  the  students  in  these  classes  must  be  "  laymen  "  in  every  sense 
of  the  word.  Only  two  books  are  assigned  to  each  year;  the  first  to  be 
studied  with  examination  if  one  is  desired;  the  other  to  be  read. 


J.  T.  McFARLAND,  D.D. 

SECRETARY  OF  THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL  UNION  OF  THE  METHODIST  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH 

As  showing  the  present  attempts  and  plans  of  the  Sunday  School 
Union  in  directing  teacher-training,  the  following  things  may  be  noted: 

1.  A  secretary  for  the  Sunday  School  Union  is  appointed  in  each 
annual  conference,  representing  it  in  all  of  its  interests  and  particularly 
with  a  view  to  fostering  Sunday  school  institutes  and  other  meetings 
directed  to  teacher-training. 

2.  A  bureau  of  special  correspondence  has  been  established  in 
the  home  office,  with  a  special  superintendent  in  charge  (Dr.  O.  S. 
Baketel),  through  which  the  union  keeps  in  communication  with  the 
conference  secretaries  as  well  as  with  the  pastors  and  superintendents. 

3.  The  secretary  of  the  Sunday  School  Union  is  issuing  a  booklet 
for  the  presiding  elders  and  one  also  for  pastors,  in  which  he  gives  a 
list  of  the  most  valuable  books  belonging  to  the  literature  of  teacher- 
training,  particularly  recommending  nine  books  regarded  as  being  of 
prime  importance.  The  entire  list  embraces  seventy-five  books,  and 
is  intended  to  constitute  a  teachers'  library.  A  strong  effort  is  being 
made  to  introduce  this  library  into  the  Sunday  schools  as  a  basis  for 
any  thoroughgoing  work  in  the  line  of  teacher-training. 

4.  In  these  same  booklets  is  given  an  extensive  list  of  topics  re- 
lating to  the  Sunday  school,  adapted  to  use  in  making  up  programmes 
for  Sunday  school  institutes  and  conventions,  references  being  made, 
in  connection  with  the  topics,  to  the  books  of  the  above-named  teachers' 
library. 

5.  Following  these,  a  carefully  prepared  series  of  round  table 
programmes  will  be  issued,  prepared  distinctively  for  use  in  teachers' 
meetings  of  the  local  Sunday  schools,  such  as  the  pastor  or  superin- 
tendent may  use  with  the  teachers  of  his  school.  These,  also,  will  have 
references  to  the  teachers'  library,  making  it  easy  to  find  the  best 
material  on  the  subjects  to  be  discussed.     These  programs  will  be 


EDUCATION  FOR  SUNDAY  SCHOOL  TEACHERS  285 

numbered  and  systematically  arranged,  beginning  at  the  beginning  of 
Simday  school  discussion  and  carrying  the  teachers  over  the  whole 
scope  of  Sunday  school  problems.  It  is  felt  that  if  this  series  of  studies 
is  pursued  in  the  Sunday  school  it  will  secure  excellent  educational 
results. 

6.  Beyond  this  an  extensive  course  of  advanced  Bible  study  is  to 
be  gotten  out.  Agreement  has  now  been  reached  with  the  representa- 
tives of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  South  and  the  Methodist 
Church  of  Canada  to  unite  with  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in 
this  matter.  The  course  will  cover  three  years,  including  the  study  of 
nine  text-books  and  two  or  three  hand-books  of  reference.  One  book 
will  be  taken  each  quarter,  omitting  the  summer  quarter.  The  books 
will  be  written  by  the  ablest  writers  who  can  be  secured  in  the  world, 
without  any  reference  to  their  denominational  connections,  and  are 
intended  to  represent  the  assured  results  of  the  best  scholarship  of  our 
time.  But  they  will  be  written  with  reference  to  the  average  laity  of 
the  churches.  It  is  intended  that  this  course  shall  round  out  the  train- 
ing of  teachers  by  giving  them  a  more  thorough  knowledge  of  the  Bible, 
and  also  that  it  shall  open  the  way  for  all  adults  in  the  churches  to  study 
the  Bible  in  a  more  connected  and  systematic  way  than  the  current 
weekly  lessons  make  possible. 


The  Nature  and  Extent  of  the  Pedagogical  Training  Neces- 
sary FOR  Sunday  School  Teachers 

PROFESSOR  J.  R.  STREET,  Ph.D. 

SYRACUSE  UNIVERSITY,  SYRACUSE,  NEW  YORK 

The  immediate  problem  which  rehgious  education  must  set  itself  is 
the  correction  of  the  conditions  and  exigencies  that  have  curtailed  its 
life  and  rendered  unsatisfactory  its  efforts.  The  immediate  lines  along 
which  reform  must  proceeed  are :  The  creation  of  a  more  healthy  educa- 
tional sentiment  in  the  church  itself,  so  that  it  may  foster  in  every  way 
possible  the  instructional  as  well  as  the  propagandic  nature  of  the 
school;  the  development  of  a  curriculum  or  course  of  study  which  will 
be  in  harmony  with  educational  principles  and  practices,  and  which 
will  more  adequately  meet  the  demands  of  the  religious  nature  of  the 
learner,  and  satisfy  the  needs  of  the  growing  soul;  and  third,  the  develop- 
ment of  a  body  of  trained  workers,  who  will  ever  move  in  harmony  with 
the  best  principles  of  educational  philosophy.  Assuming,  then,  that  the 
Sabbath  school  exists  for  the  purpose  of  discipline  as  well  as  evangeliza- 
tion, I  shall  try  to  set  forth,  without  lengthy  discussion,  some  of  the 


286  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

things  that  may  and  ought  to  be  done  along  the  hne  of  the  third  of  these 
possible  reforms,  viz,  a  more  adequate  preparation  of  the  teacher. 

First,  the  teacher  is  not  an  independent  unit  of  society.  He  must  work 
in  connection  with  the  other  social  factors,  and  his  problem  is  to  correct 
the  deficiencies  of  these  other  educational  forces.  The  two  factors  with 
which  the  teacher  of  the  Bible  school  must  co-operate  are  the  home  and 
the  church.  He  is  not  a  substitute  for  either,  but  a  co-partner.  The 
three  must  labor  for  the  same  end,  or  confusion  and  failure  may  follow. 

There  are  three  things  that  the  teacher  must  know: 

First,  he  must  know  the  Bible  or  subject  of  instruction.  No  man 
can  teach  all  that  he  knows,  try  he  ever  so  hard.  Therefore  he  must 
know  more  thoroughly  than  he  can  teach.  He  must  know  so  thoroughly 
that  he  must  teach.  It  implies  that  type  of  knowledge  that  awakens 
the  instinctive  impulse  to  tell;  that  gives  birth  to  the  spirit  that  made  St, 
Paul  cry,  "Woe  is  me  if  I  preach  not."  The  teacher's  tools  are  his 
knowledge,  and  if  these  be  dull,  how  can  he  hope  to  do  efficient  work  ? 
So  the  professional  training  of  the  teacher  must  give  him  this  com- 
prehensive and  soul-inspiring  information  and  lead  to  know  and  ap- 
preciate all  subject-matter  that  has  direct  bearing  upon  character-pro- 
duction. 

The  second  thing  that  the  teacher  must  know  is  the  child,  the  learner. 
By  this  is  not  meant  a  speaking  acquaintance,  but  a  comprehension  of 
human  nature  and  its  laws  of  development.  Since  the  days  of  Comenius, 
pedagogy  has  declared  that  the  child  mind  shall  form  the  point  of  depart- 
ure. Is  there,  then,  in  the  religious  world  a  new  law  entering,  whose 
presence  excuses  the  teacher  from  studying  the  nature  of  the  growing 
boy  or  girl  ?  Our  function  is  to  Hft  the  child  to  a  higher  level  of  life. 
How  can  we  possibly  do  so  without  a  knowledge  of  the  needs  of  the 
individual  child?  and  how  can  we  determine  these  needs  without  a 
knowledge  of  the  mental  and  moral  content  of  the  child's  mind? 

The  teacher  must  understand  the  physical  basis  of  character  and  the 
relations  existing  between  mind  and  body.  In  the  past,  we  have  been 
disposed  to  largely  neglect  the  body.  It  has  certainly  not  been  con- 
sidered the  handmaiden  of  character.  To-day,  however,  we  know 
that  character  is  conditioned  upon  the  way  in  which  we  have  trained  our 
nervous  system  to  respond  to  stimuli  from  without,  and  to  express  the 
higher  and  nobler  dictates  of  conscience  and  reason.  One  may  go  even 
further,  and  declare  that  our  whole  emotional  life  receives  its  coloring 
from  the  body.  Temperaments  are  corporeal  rather  than  mental. 
Moods  are  the  direct  product  of  physical  activities  and  conditions, 
while  our  conduct  as  an  individual  and  the  virtues  and  vices  of  life  are 


EDUCATION  FOR  SUNDAY  SCHOOL  TEACHERS  287 

contingent  upon  the  relations  that  obtain  between  these  two  sides  of  our 
being.     The  hygiene  of  the  nervous  system  conditions  moral  hygiene. 

Without  a  fair  conception  of  the  relation  of  mind  and  body,  one  cannot 
appreciate  the  conduct  of  another  or  become  a  positive  agent  in  the 
production  of  right  physical  reactions.  The  mind  is  constantly  exercis- 
ing dominion  over  the  body,  driving  it  to  all  sorts  of  activity,  transform- 
ing sensations,  producing  delusions  and  hallucinations,  forcing  the 
special  senses  to  do  its  bidding,  goading  the  muscles  and  paralyzing 
inhibition.  Ideo-motor  is  the  plan  of  human  life,  and  this  will  explain 
the  restlessness  of  youth,  and  the  violent  outbreaks  that  come  like  an 
avalanche  upon  a  boy  or  girl.  The  body,  on  the  other  hand,  makes 
mental  life  possible,  or  destroys  it.  Through  fatigue,  or  disease,  degen- 
eration, or  pathological  conditions,  it  limits  or  largely  obhterates  mental 
action.  Only  as  these  facts  are  known  and  appreciated  can  the  teacher 
put  himself  into  sympathetic  relations  with  others. 

Again,  the  teacher  should  be  familiar  with  the  laws  of  mental  hfe, 
such  as  attention,  apperception,  memory,  association  of  ideas,  imagina- 
tion, interest,  will,  etc.,  in  order  that  he  may  employ  these  laws  in  the 
furtherance  of  the  child's  growth.  If  the  mind  has  a  natural  way  of 
behaving  itself,  of  getting  at  truth,  then  it  is  very  patent  that  the  teacher 
wall  do  his  best  work  by  putting  himself  into  harmony  with  mind  and 
operating  with,  not  against,  psychic  laws.  It  does  not  lie  within  the 
province  of  this  paper  to  work  out  all  these  facts  in  detail.  It  seems 
sufficient  to  state  that  the  teacher  who  does  not  understand  the  nature 
of  attention,  its  kinds,  and  their  pedagogic  significance,  the  agencies  that 
tend  to  secure  it,  likewise  those  that  destroy,  or  render  it  impossible,  is 
very  likely  to  do  the  things  that  are  antagonistic  to  the  end  he  desires  to 
accomplish. 

Perhaps  a  word  should  be  spoken  in  regard  to  will.  We  have  been 
so  accustomed  to  think  of  it  as  a  distinct  metaphysical  entity,  that 
we  find  it  hard  to  realize  that  it  is  a  confederacy  built  up  in  the  indi- 
vidual life  out  of  the  instincts  and  the  instinct  feehngs,  emotions,  and 
desires,  and  the  ideas  and  ideals  of  life.  The  new  pyschology  has 
thrown  a  flood  of  light  upon  this  complex  hierarchy  of  our  being,  and  I 
know  of  no  other  study  in  the  whole  realm  of  mind  that  will  do  so 
much  to  put  the  teacher  into  a  helpful  attitude  as  an  intelligent  grasp  of 
will,  its  origin,  nature,  diseases,  and  relation  to  character.  I  do  not  see 
how  any  one  can  do  the  child  adequate  and  intelligent  service  with- 
out such  knowledge,  for  it  is  the  express  duty  of  the  parent  and 
teacher  to  help  the  child  to  get  a  will. 

Again,  the  teacher  should  understand  the  nature  and  the  function 


288  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

and  the  scope  of  reflex  action,  and  its  tremendous  importance  to  life  and 
character.  So,  also,  habit  and  its  laws,  how  to  render  permanent  reac- 
tions that  are  desirable,  or  to  transform  or  eliminate  undesirable  ones. 
There  should  also  be  some  comprehension  of  the  instincts  and  instinct 
feelings,  and  how  out  of  them  are  developed  all  the  virtues  that  are  pure 
and  divine,  or  the  vices  that  are  base  and  devilish. 

Further,  the  teacher  must  know  the  stages  of  growth,  and  the  laws  of 
their  unfoldment,  in  order  to  bring  the  right  material  at  the  right  time 
and  in  the  right  way,  or  to  properly  aid  the  child  to  pass  from  stage  to 
stage,  without  burdening  himself  with  psychic  rudiments,  or  atrophying 
in  any  of  the  stages.  We  know  to-day  that  the  child  is  not  a  miniature 
man,  but  rather  one  potentially,  and  the  specific  function  of  the  educator 
is  not  so  much  instruction  as  facilitated  growth.  How  can  one  accom- 
plish this  if  he  does  not  understand  these  developmental  periods  and 
appreciate  their  significance  ?  or  how  can  he  bring  the  proper  material  of 
instruction  at  the  right  time,  or  how  sympathize  with  the  growing  boy 
or  girl  in  the  midst  of  idiosyncrasies? 

Again,  sympathy  with  childhood  and  a  comprehension  of  child 
nature  is  absolutely  needful  in  order  to  produce  the  highest  type  of  man- 
hood and  womanhood,  so  the  teacher  should  be  familiar  with  the  results 
of  the  child-study  movement,  and  be  able  to  interpret  the  individual 
child  in  the  light  of  such  facts. 

The  instructor  should  have  some  knowledge  of  pathological  defects 
and  the  laws  of  mental  and  moral  hygiene,  the  relation  of  degeneracy  to 
vice  and  crime,  and  the  play  of  heredity  and  of  environment  in  deter- 
mining future  character.  In  a  word,  the  nature  that  he  proposes  to 
guide  in  its  developmental  experience  should  be  thoroughly  known. 

Knowledge  of  the  Bible  and  knowledge  of  the  child  are  not  enough. 
These  two  must  be  brought  together.  The  laws  of  teaching  form  the 
link.  One  must,  therefore,  familiarize  himself  with  the  philosophy  of 
education,  in  order  to  reap  the  results  of  the  experience  of  the  race,  and 
not  spend  needless  years  in  discovering  facts  that  he  might  have  had  as 
a  rich  legacy  from"the  past.  A  study  of  the  great  teachers  is  desirable, 
and  will  be  found  helpful.  Especially  is  this  true  of  Pestalozzi,  Froebel, 
Herbart,and  Christ.  One  can  afford  to  give  considerable  time  to  the 
pedagogy  of  Christ,  for  his  practices  incorporate  all  that  is  best  in  method. 
Teaching  is  more  an  art  than  a  science,  hence  the  practical  side  must 
not  be  neglected.  Study  of  this  will  involve  familiarity  with  the  prin- 
ciples that  underlie  method,  discipline,  organization,  and  management, 
development  of  courses  of  study,  story-telling,  and  illustrating,  and 
methods  of  preparing  and  presenting  the  lesson,  and  class  management. 


EDUCATION  FOR  SUNDAY  SCHOOL  TEACHERS  289 

You  will  see  that  teaching  is  no  mean  art.  What  could  be  higher  than 
that  of  helping  in  the  harmonious  development  of  a  human  being  ?  And 
having  assumed  the  office,  shall  one  not  pay  the  price  of  success  ? 


The  Character  and  Scope  of  the  Biblical  Knowledge  to  be 
Expected  of  Sunday  School  Teachers 

PROFESSOR  WILLIAM  G.  BALLANTINE,  D.D.,  LL.D. 

INTERNATIONAL  YOtWG  MEN'S  CHRISTIAN  ASSOCIATION  TRAINING  SCHOOL, 
SPRINGFIELD,  MASSACHUSETTS 

Taking  it  for  granted  that  the  Sunday  schools  of  the  future  will 
uUimately  be  graded  as  completely  as  day-schools  are,  and  that  the 
teachers  will  vary  in  the  scope  and  character  of  their  Biblical  knowledge 
as  in  everything  else,  we  reach  the  question  whether  there  are  some 
general  conceptions  of  the  Bible  and  the  way  to  use  it  which  all  teachers 
should  have  in  common. 

I  believe  that  the  time  has  come  when  the  entire  body  of  Sunday 
school  teachers  of  our  continent  should  know  and  should  lay  at  the 
basis  of  their  teaching  those  fundamental  conceptions  of  the  Bible 
which  the  prodigious  efforts  of  devout  scholarship  during  the  last  half- 
century  have  estabhshed.  Never  in  the  history  of  mankind  has  so 
much  prayer,  so  much  devout  reflection,  so  much  industry,  so  vast, 
prolonged,  and  minute  examination  of  particulars,  and  so  much  mental 
acumen  been  concentrated  upon  a  single  subject.  The  work  is  still 
in  progress  and  must  go  on  for  an  indefinite  time  to  come,  like  that  in 
all  realms  of  knowledge.  But  this  is  no  reason  why  the  results  so  far 
as  already  fully  assured  should  not  be  generally  and  unequivocally 
accepted.  Progress  in  Biblical  knowledge,  like  progress  always,  has 
been  partly  destructive  and  partly  constructive.  The  fact  that  it  has 
been  at  all  destructive  is  sometimes  brought  up  as  a  very  serious  in- 
dictment. But  a  little  thought  will,  however,  show  the  necessity  of  the 
law.  The  Ptolemaic  system  had  to  be  destroyed  in  order  to  give  place 
to  the  Copemican.  The  discovery  that  Columbus  had  not  discovered 
India  destroyed  his  cherished  theory  in  order  to  give  to  the  world  a 
new  hemisphere.  We  have  nothing  to  lose  by  the  destruction  of  any 
mistaken  notion,  however  vital  it  may  have  seemed  to  our  religion; 
for  the  truth  of  God  must  certainly  be  better,  larger,  and  more  help- 
ful in  all  our  relations  both  to  the  earth  and  to  the  heavens.  If  dis- 
aster is  to  be  avoided,  the  entire  body  of  Sunday  school  teachers  must 
be  speedily  initiated  into  those  general  conceptions  which  distinguish 
the  new  Biblical  scholarship  from  the  old.  Dread  of  an  illiterate  min- 
istry was  one  of  the  powerful  motives  of  our  Puritan  forefathers.     By 


ago  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

that  term,  "  illiterate  ministry,"  they,  meant  unscholarly  guidance  in 
religious  thought. 

The  Bible  is  literature,  to  be  interpreted  and  used  as  literature, 
according  to  the  general  laws  of  grammar,  rhetoric,  and  psychology 
that  apply  to  other  books.  It  is  no  occult  cabala  with  mystic  mean- 
ings. It  is  not  a  rebus  to  be  guessed.  If  I  felt  justified  in  making 
any  specific  recommendations  to-day,  I  should  propose  that  every 
Sunday  school  teacher  should  be  required  to  have  a  reasonable  acquaint- 
ance with  the  works  of  Professor  Richard  G.  Moulton,  who  has  done 
so  much  to  popularize  the  knowledge  of  the  Bible  as  literature. 

The  main  modern  conceptions  of  the  Bible  are  so  simple  and  com- 
prehensible that  they  can  be  learned  from  a  brief  course  of  lectures 
such  as  every  Sunday  school  teacher  can  find  time  to  attend.  And 
who  can  so  appropriately  give  such  a  course  at  the  teachers'  meetings 
as  the  pastor  of  the  church?  Where,  for  any  reason,  the  pastor  pre- 
fers not  to  undertake  it,  it  will  generally  be  easy  to  secure  some  col- 
lege or  seminary  professor  who  will  gladly  serve.  The  course  should 
be  very  simple  and  non-technical.  It  should  not  be  expressed  in  the 
jargon  of  the  professional  workshop.  It  should  deal  only  with  large 
ideas. 

Correct  general  ideas  regarding  the  Bible  are  essential  in  those  who 
are  to  form  the  religious  thinking  of  the  young.  But  is  the  main  hope 
of  the  Sunday  schools  of  the  future  in  more  accurate  knowledge  of 
Biblical  minutiae  on  the  part  of  the  teachers?  I  greatly  doubt  it. 
Not  in  more  intense  study  of  the  details  of  the  book,  but  in  broader 
and  more  thoughtful  study  of  the  subject  of  which  the  book  treats, 
lies  our  hope.  From  the  Old  Testament  we  learn  of  the  religious  life 
of  the  ancient  Jews,  and  from  the  New  Testament  we  learn  the  life 
of  Jesus  and  the  founding  of  the  Christian  Church. 

One  of  the  dangers  of  the  lesson-help  system  is  that  the  simple  and 
practical  truths  of  a  Scripture  passage  may  be  buried  under  an  ava- 
lanche of  erudition.  Oriental  customs,  the  disclosures  of  buried  cities, 
the  zoology,  botany,  philology,  and  what  not  of  all  Biblical  lands,  are 
thrust  in  masses  upon  us.  Perhaps  the  most  serious  danger  now  of 
Bible  study  is  pedantry.  If  Assyria  happens  to  be  mentioned,  Sargon 
and  all  of  the  other  kings  with  longer  and  less  pronounceable  names 
must  be  passed  in  review.  The  parable  of  the  good  Samaritan  may 
be  the  lesson.  Then  the  word  down  in  the  statement,  "  A  certain  man 
was  going  down  from  Jerusalem  to  Jericho,"  is  seized  upon.  The 
extraordinary  topography  of  the  Holy  Land  is  described.  The  fact 
that  Jericho  lies  in  a  great  cleft  in  the  surface  of  the  earth  much  be- 


EDUCATION  FOR  SUNDAY  SCHOOL  TEACHERS  291 

low  the  level  of  the  sea.  and  that  the  surface  of  the  Dead  Sea  is  1,292 
feet  lower  than  that  of  the  Mediterranean,  are  made  clear  by  relief- 
nniaps  and  cross-sections.  Then  the  treatment  of  wounds  with  oil  and 
wine  may  be  enlarged  upon,  and  the  theories  of  therapeutics  prevalent 
at  the  Christian  era.  Then  the  incident  of  taking  out  twopence,  or 
shillings,  or  denarii  offers  a  peg  whereon  to  hang  an  excursus  upon 
Hebrew  and  Roman  money,  and  the  value  of  the  precious  metals  in 
different  ages.  This  sort  of  thing  is  not  wholly  to  be  condemned. 
A  certain  amovmt  of  it  may  make  clearer  some  details  of  the  picture. 
But  its  usefulness  has  often  been  vastly  overestimated.  I  should  say, 
curtail  this  kind  of  Bible  study  and  save  time  for  study  in  which  the 
children  shall  be  familiarized  with  the  various  kinds  of  good  Samaritan 
work  going  on  at  present  in  their  own  city  and  throughout  the  world. 
And  the  teacher  of  this  second  class  will  not  need  to  know  how  far 
down  Jericho  is  below  Jerusalem  or  what  was  the  value  of  a  denarius. 

But  it  is  time  for  all  Sunday  school  teachers  to  know  that  the  mi- 
nute verbal  study  of  the  Bible,  even  in  a  sober  way,  is  unprofitable. 
The  comparative  study  even  of  the  four  gospels  in  the  original  shows 
how  far  the  evangelists  were  from  accuracy  in  detail.  Now,  when  these 
unstudied  and  often  inexact  phrases  of  the  Greek  renderings  of  Ara- 
maic traditions  come  to  be  rendered  into  English  according  to  that 
curious  psychology  of  translators  which  is  itself  a  realm  of  sacred  mys- 
tery, it  is  vain  indeed  to  put  the  microscope  upon  words.  Lists  of  the 
"  whosoevers  "  of  Scripture  and  the  "  in  no  wise's  "  of  Scripture  are 
wholly  delusive.  Our  translators  put  in  whosoever  at  their  own  ca- 
price, according  to  no  discoverable  system.  In  no  wise  is  inserted 
even  more  at  random.  And  these  are  but  specimens.  The  study  of 
the  history  of  the  English  versions,  now  happily  stimulated  by  the 
generosity  of  Miss  Helen  Gould,  must  remove  at  least  a  part  of  this 
illusion  regarding  mere  words.  It  is  unfortunate  that  any  part  of  the 
Sunday  school  hour  should  be  spent  in  comparing  the  old  version  with 
the  new,  or  in  interpreting  the  archaic  words  of  the  English  of  three 
hundred  years  ago  (which  we  will  strangely  regard  as  the  only  proper 
dialect  of  religion)  into  modern  speech.  It  is  a  pity  to  have  to  stop 
to  tell  a  scholar  that  in  religion  prevent  means  to  help,  and  that  to  let 
means  to  hinder. 

Thank  God,  religious  thinkers  have  escaped  from  subjection  to 
the  lexicographers  and  the  grammarians.  Many  weary  years  have  I 
spent  upon  Greek  and  Hebrew,  thinking  that  in  the  etymologies  of 
these  languages  I  could  know  the  exact  mind  of  God,  only  to  find  that 
the  Bible  was  not  written  by  college  professors  and  that  the  writers 


292  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

with  their  Oriental  rhetoric,  never  dreamed  of  the  mechanical  accuracy 
and  the  verbal  niceties  we  have  attributed  to  them.  Jesus  spoke 
generally  in  hyperboles,  or  in  parables  or  metaphors,  so  that  his  teach- 
ings are  for  the  most  part  clear  out  of  the  realm  of  the  grammar  and 
lexicon.  The  words  do  not  pretend  to  formulate  his  thought;  they 
only  suggest  it.  Let  us  turn  from  that  world  of  fanciful  constructions 
with  which  we  have  so  often  deluded  ourselves  in  solemn  trifling  over 
words,  and  study  God's  truth  writ  large  in  characters,  in  nature,  and 
in  the  march  of  events. 


X.     CHRISTIAN  ASSOCIATIONS 


ANNUAL  SURVEY  OF  THE  PROGRESS  OF  RELIGIOUS 
EDUCATION  IN  THE  YOUNG  MEN'S  CHRISTIAN 
ASSOCIATIONS  AND  YOUNG  WOMEN'S  CHRISTIAN 
ASSOCIATIONS.  1904 

WALTER  M.  WOOD 

SUPERINTENDENT  OF  EDUCATION,  THE  YOUNG  MEN'S  CHRISTIAN  ASSOCIATION 

OF  CHICAGO 

Religious  education  was  recognized  and  increasingly  used  as  a  means 
of  personal  safeguard  and  character-building  in  the  Young  Men's  and 
Young  Women's  Christian  Associations  of  North  America  during  the 
year  1904. 

The  organizations  included  within  the  range  of  this  survey  are  the 
Young  Men's  Christian  Associations  of  North  America,  with  their  1,815 
associations  and  373,000  members;  the  Young  Women's  Christian 
Associations,  affiliated  under  the  general  supervision  of  the  American 
Committee,  with  their  733  associations  and  about  80,000  members, 
and  the  Women's  and  Young  Women's  Christian  Associations  under 
the  general  supervision  of  the  International  Board,  with  their  53  asso- 
ciations and  reported  regular  membership  approximating  20,000. 

The  key-notes  of  progress  in  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Associations 
and  the  Young  Women's  Associations  under  the  American  Committee 
have  been  extension  beyond  the  associations  proper,  strengthened  Bible- 
study,  and  the  training  of  leaders. 

In  the  Young  Women's  Christian  Associations  under  the  International 
Board  the  keynote  of  progress  has  been  the  intensification  and  internal 
organization  of  personal  Christian  effort. 

Extension  Work.  Unquestionably,  the  most  significant  development 
of  the  year  1904  was  that  in  the  line  of  extension  of  association  religious 
activities,  not  alone  beyond  the  associations'  buildings  to  other  natural 
centres  of  congregation,  but  far  beyond  the  range  of  association  mem- 
bership; whereas,  previously,  for  some  years  the  major  portion  of  the 
association  religious  work  has  been  conducted  in  the  association  build- 
ings. Last  year  witnessed  the  extension  in  larger  measure  than  ever 
before  of  Bible  classes  into  shops,  schools,  homes,  on  shipboard,  in 
theaters,  churches,  by  correspondence  to  men  in  the  railway  service,  to 
boarding-houses,  fraternities,  offices,  and  even  to  outing  and  vacation 

293 


294  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

camps.  Religious  meetings  have  also  been  inaugiu-ated  in  larger  measure 
in  shops,  and  theaters,  and  the  associations  have  taken  a  leading  part 
in  the  conduct  of  evangelistic  meetings  in  city  evangelistic  campaigns. 

Bible  Study  and  Meetings.  The  "  forward  movement  "  in  Bible-study 
in  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association  has  made  the  year  1904  most 
conspicuous  in  the  increase  of  the  number  of  associations  aggressively 
promoting  systematic  Bible-study  and  in  the  number  of  students  enrolled. 

There  has  been  a  growing  appreciation  that  the  most  feasible  and 
effective  unit  of  religious  effort  is  the  Bible  class,  because  of  its  great 
flexibiUty,  permitting  of  adaptation  to  any  class  of  people  under  any 
conditions;  because  of  its  equally  valuable  service  in  evangelization,  and 
in  strengthening  the  Christian  life  of  believers;  and  because  of  its  em- 
phasis upon  personal  participation  of  each  in  the  co-operative  work  of 
a  limited  group. 

The  experience  of  the  past  year  reveals  a  growing  sentiment  favor- 
able to  more  moderate-sized  and  less  spectacular  Sunday  meetings  in 
the  association  buildings,  regularly  held,  with  evangelistic  results  care- 
fully followed  up. 

Boys.  As  a  natural  sequence  to  the  growing  recognition  of  the  period 
of  adolescence  as  the  one  affording  the  largest  opportunity  for  religious 
development,  there  has  been  a  rapid  increase  in  the  amount  of  religious 
work  among  boys.  True  to  sound  pedagogical  principles,  this  work 
has  been  done  apart  from  the  religious  work  for  men,  with  a  striking 
increase  in  the  use  of  boys  as  the  religious  leaders  of  boys.  Marked 
progress  has  been  made  in  the  free  adaptation  of  forms  and  methods 
of  Bible  instruction  and  in  the  settings  for  religious  teaching,  to  put  them 
in  harmony  with  the  natural  characteristics  and  interests  of  the  youth. 
There  has  been  less  of  imitation  of  the  forms  of  men's  classes  and  meet- 
ings, and  the  introduction  of  unconventional  forms  that  make  the  dis- 
cussion of  religious  topics  and  the  enforcement  of  religious  principles, 
as  applied  to  character-building,  a  natural  feature  in  the  life  of  a  boy. 

Life  Problems.  Beside  direct  religious  teaching  in  conventional  forms 
of  religious  service,  strong  emphasis  has  recently  been  placed  upon  the 
discussion  of  practical  life  problems,  generally  from  a  Christian  stand- 
point, but  without  special  reference  being  made  to  this  fact.  Some  of 
the  former  Bible  class  and  club  groups  in  both  the  Young  Men's  and 
Young  Women's  Christian  Associations  have  given  this  turn  to  their 
studies  and  discussions,  seeking  thereby  to  work  out  the  simple  and  per- 
sonal problems  of  applied  Christianity.  In  large  measure,  the  value 
of  the  noon  and  midnight  shop-talks,  conducted  on  a  rapidly  increasing 
scale  in  both  the  Young  Men's  and  Young  Women's  Christian  Associa- 


SURVEY  OF  PROGRESS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION      295 

tions,  consists  in  the  translation  of  fundamental  Christian  truths  into 
working  formulas  for  the  every-day  human  life. 

Social  and  Club  Forms.  The  year  1904,  more  than  any  previous 
year,  has  proven  in  Christian  associations  that  social  contact  is  the 
vehicle  of  personal  religious  influence.  In  the  movement,  therefore, 
away  from  large  classes  to  smaller  groups,  taking  a  club  form  of  or- 
ganization, and  to  a  certain  extent  from  large  mass  meetings  to  smaller 
meetings,  there  is  an  indication  of  real  progress.  More  and  more,  es- 
pecially during  the  past  year,  groups  for  Bible-study,  or  the  conduct  of 
other  reUgious  features,  have  taken  on,  instead  of  the  class  or  committee 
form,  a  club  form  of  organization,  with  special  emphasis  upon  the 
increase  of  personal  fellowship  and  co-operation  among  the  members 
of  the  group.  In  addition  to  the  club  form  of  organization,  strong 
emphasis  has  been  laid  upon  social  gatherings  and  informal  teas  in 
conjunction  with  Bible  classes  and  religious  meetings. 

Training  of  Teachers  and  Leaders.  Partly  in  explanation  of  the 
advances  of  Bible-study  and  other  forms  of  religious  work,  and  partly 
as  a  necessity  resulting  from  the  extension  movement,  a  most  important 
element  of  last  year's  progress  is  found  in  the  great  increase  of  attention 
given  to  the  training  of  Bible  teachers  and  leaders  in  Christian  work. 

Supervision.  A  conspicuous  advance  has  been  made,  especially  in 
the  Young  Men's  Christian  Associations,  and  the  Young  Women's 
Christian  Associations  under  the  American  Committee,  in  the  delegat- 
ing of  trained  specialists  to  the  task  of  discovering  religious  opportuni- 
ties, defining  religious  problems,  suggesting  methods  of  religious  work, 
and  personally  coaching  local  leaders  for  efficient  service. 

Reasons  for  Progress.  In  brief  resume,  it  is  interesting  to  note  espe- 
cially those  things  which  have  contributed  most  largely  to  recent  progress. 
Eight  distinct  reasons  may  be  given  for  the  growth  of  last  year: 

1.  There  has  been,  on  the  part  of  all  Christian  associations,  a  con- 
siderable broadening  of  their  field  of  operation,  having  reached,  especially 
in  matters  of  rehgious  instruction  and  influence,  far  beyond  their  build- 
ings and  beyond  the  membership  or  usual  past  constituency  of  the  asso- 
ciation. The  association  buildings  have  thus  become  radiatmg  centers 
of  Christian  influence,  and  the  organizations  themselves  have  developed 
a  projective  power,  enabling  them  to  enter  upon  an  era  of  service  to  the 
large  constituency  of  young  men  and  women  of  the  entire  community. 

2.  There  has  been  a  larger  investment  of  money  than  in  previous 
years.  In  the  City  and  Raihroad  Young  Men's  Christian  Association 
alone,  in  the  local  promotion  of  religious  effort,  there  was  expended  in 
1904,  $141,000  as  against  $127,000  in  1903. 


296  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

3.  There  has  been  a  larger  and  better  organized  working  force. 
Throughout  the  country,  in  both  men's  and  women's  associations  there 
was  reported  a  large  gain  in  effective  organization  and  definite  assump- 
tion of  responsibilities  by  workers. 

4.  More  reliable  helps  and  suggestions  have  been  available  to 
those  having  religious  work  in  charge  than  in  any  previous  year.  The 
excellent  graded  courses  provided  largely  by  the  International 
Committee,  the  increasing  volume  of  literature,  defining  experiences  and 
valuable  methods,  the  stimulus  of  the  international  Bible-study  exami- 
nations; the  Bible-study  courses  and  articles  on  religious  work  in  such 
publications  as  "  Association  Men  "  and  "  The  Evangel,"  together  with 
the  increasing  correspondence  and  personal  counsel  of  state  and  inter- 
national officers,  have  all  contributed  much  to  inspire  and  guide  asso- 
ciation workers  in  their  religious  effort. 

5.  More  systematic  and  aggressive  promotion  has  been  given  the 
Bible-study  and  other  religious  work  than  at  any  previous  time.  This 
has  been  supplied  through  the  local  association  committeemen  and 
executives,  who  have  felt  that  the  most  important  present  duty  is  the 
establishment  of  a  more  thorough  and  far-reaching  religious  work,  and 
through  the  effort  of  state  and  international  specialists,  who  have  gath- 
ered and  distributed  most  valuable  information,  have  visited  large 
numbers  of  associations,  counseling  in  the  inauguration  and  guidance 
of  their  work,  and  have  conducted  large  numbers  of  institutes  for  the 
special  training  of  local  leaders  of  religious  effort. 

6.  The  past  year  has  shown  among  association  workers  a  growing 
spirit  of  willingness  to  be  unconventional,  if  the  amount  or  value  of 
their  services  might  thereby  be  increased.  As  Mr.  See  of  Brooklyn 
has  said,  "  A  characteristic  feature  of  the  year  has  been  the  work  done 
at  unconventional  times  and  in  unconventional  places."  The  freeing 
of  association  workers  from  the  shackles  of  traditional  conventionalities 
in  forms  and  methods  of  religious  work  explains  much  of  recent  progress 
and  brings  large  promise  of  increasing  future  power. 

7.  There  has  been  increasing  emphasis  on  all  phases  of  association 
work  as  influencing  toward  the  Christian  life.  The  present  conception 
of  religious  education  is  not  restricted  to  include  only  those  activities 
which  bear  directly  upon  the  spiritual  life;  but,  true  to  the  model  estab- 
lished in  the  development  of  Christ  himself, — "  And  Jesus  increased 
in  wisdom  and  stature  and  in  favor  with  God  and  man," —  it  has  to 
do  with  all  that  constitutes  the  normal  Hfe  of  a  human  being  dominated 
by  the  Christian  spirit.  The  various  Christian  associations,  therefore, 
while  at  this  period  of  their  development  laying  special  stress  upon  the 


SURVEY  OF  PROGRESS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION      297 

magnifying  of  direct  religious  agencies  affecting  the  spiritual  life,  ex- 
pressed, both  in  statement  and  in  the  activities  they  conducted,  their 
continued  and  growing  belief  in  the  essential  religious  value  of  the  phys- 
ical, educational,  social,  and  economic  means  employed. 

8.  There  has  been  a  greater  fullness  of  the  Spirit  and  a  new  vision. 
A  great  religious  awakening,  such  as  found  expression  in  the  Christian 
associations  last  year,  does  not  have  its  origin  in  men  or  methods,  but 
in  the  Spirit  of  the  Living  God  incarnate  in  those  who  seek  to  know  His 
will  and  to  do  it.  In  the  successes  of  last  year  many  had  a  vision  of  the 
great  unoccupied  field,  and  have  felt  the  inspiring  thrill  of  the  power  that 
is  sufficient  for  all  things. 

Conclusion.  For  the  Christian  associations  of  North  America,  in 
the  year  1904,  to  have  claimed  by  occupation  a  wider  field;  to  have  in- 
creased religious  vitality  by  the  cultivation  of  greater  bibhcal  intelligence; 
to  have  established  the  habit  of  "  striking  while  the  iron  is  hot  "  in  the 
youth  of  the  individual;  to  have  practicalized  spiritual  truth  by  its 
larger  application  to  the  solution  of  current  life  problems;  to  have  put 
religious  activity  on  a  social  and  fraternal,  rather  than  a  monastic  and 
patriarchal,  basis;  to  have  trained  and  set  to  the  task  of  Christian 
leadership  an  army  of  lay  workers;  and  to  have  increased  in  amount 
and  efficiency  the  forces  making  for  organization  and  promotion^; — is 
to  have  made  real  progress  —  progress  that  is  substantial,  inspiring, 
and  prophetic  of  a  greater  work,  under  God,  in  the  days  to  come. 


BIBLE-STUDY    IN    THE     YOUNG    WOMEN'S    CHRISTIAN 
ASSOCIATIONS 
MRS.   J.   S.    GRIFFITH 

CHICAGO,     ILLINOIS 

1.  The  Adaptability  of  Bible-Study  to  All  Departments  of  Associa- 
tion Work.  I.  To  Women  in  Universities  and  Colleges.  The  Amer- 
ican Committee  has  for  several  years  recommended  to  the  student  asso- 
ciations the  same  courses  which  are  used  in  the  Young  Men's  Christian 
Associations.  These  courses  are  known  as  the  Student  Cycle.  They 
have  been  prepared  primarily  for  college  students  and  are  arranged 
for  daily  work.  Fifteen  to  thirty  minutes  each  day  are  required  for 
personal  preparation.  The  cycle  includes:  Studies  in  the  Life  of  Christ; 
studies  in  Old  Testament  (bourses;  studies  in  the  Acts  and  Epistles; 
studies  in  the  Teachings  of  Jesus  and  His  Apostles. 

There  are  now  535  institutions  of  learning  affihated  with  the  Amer- 
ican Committee,  representing  nearly  40,000  students,  who  are  members 
of  the  Young  Women^s  Christian  Association.  Last  year  10,567  were 
registered  in  association  Bible  classes. 

2.  To  Business  Women.  We  realize  that  adapting  Bible-study 
to  business  women  necessitates  suiting  courses  to  all  grades  of  intellectual 
abihty,  to  many  phases  of  society,  with  great  inconvenience  in  meeting, 
and  with  much  indifference  on  the  part  of  many.  With  these  diffi- 
culties in  mind,  it  will  be  understood  why  associations  have  introduced 
so  many  methods  and  have  recognized  the  necessity  of  having  more 
short-term  courses  in  the  city  association  than  in  student  work.  In 
carefully  reviewing  the  reports  that  have  been  received  recently,  it  is  ap- 
parent that  many  of  the  courses  recommended  by  the  International  Com- 
mittee of  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Associations  for  city  work  are  being 
used.  These  include :  The  Life  and  Works  of  Jesus  according  to  St.  Mark ; 
studies  in  the  Life  of  Jesus;  studies  in  the  Life  of  Paul;  Christ  among 
Men;  inductive  studies  of  the  Gospel  of  John.  In  addition  to  these, 
various  short  courses  that  have  been  taught  at  summer  conferences 
are  used,  besides  many  outlines  prepared  by  the  local  teachers.  Much 
remains  to  be  done  in  systematizing  the  Bible  work  in  cities,  and  prac- 
tical plans  for  more  thorough  national  supervision  are  now  in  operation. 
In  several  city  associations  there  are  more  than  200  persons  registered 
in  the  Bible  classes.  It  has  been  necessary,  in  many  cases,  to  introduce 
various  means  that  will  bring  out  the  principles  and  teachings  of  the 


BIBLE-STUDY  IN  THE  Y.  W.  C.  A.  299 

Bible  without  having  it  take  the  form  of  a  Bible  class.  Chapel  talks 
are  given  when  all  the  pupils  who  desire  to  do  so  meet  for  a  ten  minutes' 
service  before  the  opening  of  the  evening  classes. 

Drop-in  classes  are  becoming  quite  popular  at  the  noon  hour,  and 
enable  the  teacher  to  give  a  simple,  practical  Bible  lesson  with  helpful 
thoughts  for  every-day  Uving.  Life  problem  talks  are  often  given  and 
heartily  received  in  factories,  when  it  would  be  impossible  to  bring  a 
direct  evangelistic  appeal.  Several  associations  are  using  the  leaflet 
which  has  been  prepared  by  Miss  Helen  Miller  Gould  for  the  purpose 
of  forming  circles  for  the  memorizing  of  Scripture.  Series  of  Bible 
lectures  by  eminent  Bible  teachers  have  been  largely  attended  in  several 
cities  and  have  resulted  in  real  awakening  in  the  interest  of  Bible- 
study. 

3  To  Women  in  their  Homes.  The  Bible  work  that  is  most 
popular  and  effective  among  the  third  group  of  women  are  the  board 
Bible  classes  and  the  neighborhood  classes.  The  association  is  an 
interdenominational  movement,  so  the  board  members  and  committee 
workers  are  representative  women  from  the  different  churches.  There- 
fore, when  a  board  of  directors  becomes  interested  in  their  own  as- 
sociation Bible  classes  it  not  only  deepens  their  own  spiritual  life  and 
makes  them  more  effective  board  members,  but  it  prepares  them  for 
better  service  in  their  own  churches. 

Neighborhood  Bible  classes  have  unlimited  possibilities,  and  are  in- 
creasing rapidly.  If  some  highly  respected  woman  opens  her  home 
one  morning  a  week,  invites  her  friends,  and  secures  a  good  teacher, 
there  is  little  difiSculty  about  the  class  being  sustained. 

II.     The  Agencies  Employed  in  the  Development  of   Bible -study. 

1.  The  Summer  Conferences.  The  American  Committee  conducts 
ten  days'  conference  for  Bible  study,  for  the  consideration  of  approved 
methods  in  association  work,  and  for  the  development  of  the  spiritual 
life.  At  each  of  these  gatherings,  from  two  to  five  Bible  classes  are 
taught.  Many  young  women  have  received  their  first  impetus  to 
Bible-study  at  these  conferences,  and  numerous  classes  have  been  formed 
all  over  the  country  as  a  result  of  the  enthusiasm  shown  by  the  delegates 
upon  their  return. 

2.  The  Director  of  Religious  Work.  It  has  been  only  recently 
that  one  person  has  been  asked  to  give  exclusively  her  time  to  the  or- 
ganizing and  strengthening  of  Bible  classes,  gospel  meetings,  personal 
workers,  and  groups,  and  to  study  the  means  by  which  the  young 
women  caring  only  for  the  classes  to  which  they  belong  may  be  brought 
into  touch  with   the  directly  spiritual  part  of  the  work.     Five  cities 


300  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

employ  such  women,  and  several  others  are  planning  to  add  a  director  of 
religious  work  to  their  staff  next  autumn. 

3.  National  Supervision.  It  must  be  apparent  to  all  that  a  great 
deal  of  Bible  work  is  being  done  when  there  are  10,567  enrolled  in 
student  Bible  classes,  306  separate  Bible  classes  in  the  city  associations, 
and  19  classes  to  be  taught  at  the  summer  conferences  of  1905.  Yet  in 
a  very  real  sense  this  is  a  year  of  beginnings,  as  the  National  Bible-study 
Department  is  being  organized,  and  past  experience  proves  that  rapid 
strides  are  made  as  soon  as  the  National  Committee  can  give  the  proper 
amount  of  supervision  and  can  provide  the  right  workers. 

III.  The  Principles  Underlying  Successful  Association  Bible  Work. 
The  importance  of  adequate  courses  of  Bible -study  is  fully  appreciated. 
Numerous  interviews  are  being  held  with  well-known  Bible  teachers 
on  the  subject,  so  that  the  courses  now  in  print  and  of  real  value  may 
be  utilized.  The  Bible -study  Department  will  serve  as  an  index  finger 
pointing  classes  to  the  courses  best  adapted  to  their  use,  and  it  will 
not  assume  to  meet  the  varied  needs  through  the  preparation  of  entirely 
new  courses. 

The  importance  of  competent  instruction  is  recognized  also.  Horace 
Mann  says,  "  The  problem  is  not  the  founding  of  the  school,  but  the 
finding  of  the  schoolmaster."  In  student  Bible  work  those  in  the 
classes  should  study  in  such  a  way  as  to  prepare  themselves  to  teach 
others.  If  the  10,000  yoimg  women  now  enrolled  in  student  classes 
had  this  thought  thoroughly  instilled,  and  should  study  throughout  the 
college  course  with  this  aim  in  mind,  it  would  do  much  in  solving  the 
problem  of  finding  Sunday  school  teachers,  leaders  of  our  young  people's 
meetings,  and  Bible  teachers  for  our  city  association  Bible  classes. 


MRS.  CHARLES  N.  JUDSON 

PRESIDENT  YOUNG  WOMEN'S  CHRISTIAN  ASSOCIATION,  BROOKLYN  NEW  YORK 

In  all  the  associations  connected  with  the  International  Board  — 
and  they  are  located  in  all  of  our  larger  cities  from  the  Atlantic  to  the 
Pacific  —  the  study  of  the  Bible  is  most  important.  All  have  Bible 
classes  on  Simday,  and  most  of  them  have  Bible-study  classes  through 
the  week.  Of  course,  the  kind  of  Bible -study  that  can  be  done  by 
the  overworked,  unstudious  working-girls  must  differ  widely  from  that 
done  in  schools  and  colleges.  The  historical  courses  seem  to  be  un- 
popular, neither  do  the  students  who  attend  the  Sunday  services  care 
so  much  for  the  critical  study,  but  they  enjoy  and  talk  about  that  which 
can  be  made  practical  and  assimilated  in  every-day  life.     The  topical 


BIBLE-STUDY  IN  THE  Y.  W.  C.  A.  301 

plan  meets  with  the  largest  measure  of  success.  Biographical  talks 
and  characters  from  the  Bible  are  also  much  enjoyed. 

The  Bible-study  classes  differ  from  the  Sunday  services  in  having 
smaller  numbers  taking  up  the  study  as  they  vi^ould  any  other  topic  and 
doing  real  work.  These  courses  of  study  cover  a  broader  field  and  are 
more  thorough.  The  enthusiasm  which  is  developed  in  these  classes 
depends  largely  on  the  teacher.  The  aim  is  to  open  up  the  beauties  of 
the  wonderful  Book,  to  foster  the  love  for  it,  and  to  teach  the  pupils 
how  to  find  its  spiritual  help  for  themselves. 

The  mid-day  services  at  the  factories  are  a  special  feature  of  many 
of  our  associations,  and  though  brief  and  simple  and  practical,  they  are 
much  enjoyed. 

Another  method  of  reaching  the  young  women  is  through  the  "  Fa- 
miliar Talks  "  on  some  every-day  topic  which  will  be  of  interest  to  them. 
Sometimes  they  are  announced  with  a  fanciful  title  or  one  rather  mys- 
terious, so  that  curiosity  will  draw  them  to  be  listeners,  and  talkers  too, 
for  the  aim  has  been  to  draw  them  out,  and  to  make  them  formulate 
their  ideas  by  putting  them  into  remarks  or  questions.  Under  the 
general  topic  of  "  What  shall  we  talk  about?"  Paul's  instructions  to 
the  PhiHppians  was  made  to  cover  a  winter's  monthly  talks,  by  taking 
one  topic  at  a  time,  and  giving  it  a  special  title;  for  instance,  the  "  good 
repute  "  was  called  "  What  other  people  think  of  us."  "  Prisoners," 
"  Other  people's  queer  ways,"  and  "  The  power  of  friction  "  were  topics 
which  gave  opportunity,  through  every-day  things,  to  touch  a  deeper 
thought. 


THE  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION  OF  BOYS 
EDWARD  B.  KAIGHN,  M.D. 

BIBLE  CLASS  TEACHER,  SAN  ANTONIO,  TEXAS 

What  are  the  characteristics  of  the  adolescent  boy  differentiating 
him  from  the  child  and  the  adult  ?  To  mention  but  a  few,  there  are 
the  manifest  physical  signs  of  rapidly  lengthening  arms  and  legs  and 
broadening  shoulders;  the  disappearing  of  rounded  childish  features 
for  the  squarer  jaw  and  stronger  lines  of  dawning  maturity;  the  shifting 
of  the  voice,  with  many  creaks  and  squeaks  and  growls  to  a  lower  clef, 
the  rapid  increase  in  weight,  and  the  incipient  signs  of  a  mustache. 
These  and  many  other  physical  characteristics  are  evident  to  the  dullest 
observer.  The  psychological  characteristics  are  probably  just  as  great, 
if  not  so  strikingly  obvious.  The  senses,  as  a  rule,  become  keener,  the 
power  to  reason  strongly  develops,  and  the  feelings  are  increasingly 
under  better  control  than  during  childhood.  It  is  common  experience 
that  the  adolescent  has  spells  of  laziness  or  dullness,  or  great  activity 
or  crankiness.  His  views  of  right  and  wrong,  justice  and  injustice,  and 
the  good  and  the  bad  are  apt  to  be  rigid,  and  he  is  willing  to  measure 
himself  by  the  standards  he  sets  for  others.  He  is  at  once  practical  and 
very  much  of  an  idealist.  He  is  secretive  and  self-conscious,  and  a  con- 
firmed hero-worshiper.  When  in  physical  danger  he  is  courageous 
to  the  point  of  foolhardiness,  but  in  moral  situations  somewhat  of  a 
coward.  A  new-born  social  impulse  impels  him  to  associate  with  boys 
of  his  own  age  in  a  more  or  less  well-organized  gang.  The  sentiment 
of  the  gang  determines  many  of  his  actions,  and  strongly  influences  his 
states  of  mind.  His  interest  in  out-door  life  is  strong,  as  shown  by  his 
fondness  for  hunting,  camping,  and  athletics.  He  finds  restraints  of 
any  sort  irksome,  and  he  wants  liberties  denied  his  younger  brother. 
It  is  a  time  of  forming  warm  friendships  with  older  people,  as  well  as 
with  those  of  his  own  age. 

The  spirit  of  altruism  seems  to  have  its  birth  in  adolescence.  The 
unwillingness  of  a  child  to  subordinate  himself  in  his  games  is  in  marked 
contrast  to  the  team  play  manifest  in  adolescent  sports.  That  it  is  a 
time  of  religious  impressibility  all  studies  lead  us  to  believe.  Just  to 
what  degree  this  spiritual  awakening  may  be  due  to  an  unconscious 
effort  on  the  part  of  the  adolescent  to  correct  the  faulty  teaching  of 
earlier  years,  or  to  realize  those  states  of  feeling  expected  to  accompany 
the  conversion  of  a  mature  sinner,  we  do  not  know. 

302 


THE  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION  OF  BOYS  303 

How  may  this  knowledge  guide  the  association  worker  in  the  re- 
ligious education  of  boys? 

In  the  first  place,  it  may  help  to  give  the  work  a  better  aim.  We  see 
that  the  adolescent  period  is  one  of  rapid  growth  and  adjustment.  It 
is  the  whole  boy,  and  not  only  a  part  of  him,  that  is  growing  and  under- 
going adjustment,  and  we  cannot  concern  ourselves  simply  with  his 
soul  and  neglect  all  of  the  rest.  The  Young  Men's  Christian  Associa- 
tion is  unique  among  religious  agencies  in  its  recognition  of  man's  all- 
round  nature,  but  we  do  violence  to  the  idea  when  we  try  to  separate 
into  distinct  natures  the  body,  the  mind,  and  the  soul.  It  is  the  whole 
boy  that  we  are  to  help  into  the  richest  and  fullest  life.  With  that  aim, 
the  gymnasium  may  be  more  of  a  religious  agency  than  the  Bible  class. 
It  should  be  at  least  as  much.  The  boy  himself  takes  to  this  all-round 
idea.  To  have  Christ  with  him  in  his  sports,  to  help  him  have  a 
strong  mind,  to  help  him  love  and  serve  the  other  fellows,  is  the  burden 
of  the  spontaneous  prayers  we  often  hear  from  the  lips  of  boys  about 
the  summer-night  camp-fire  or  in  the  boys'  meeting. 

In  the  next  place,  this  knowledge  gives  us  points  of  contact  with  the 
boy.  For  instance,  there  is  the  gang  instinct.  This  may  be  made  to 
contribute  instead  of  being  a  menace  to  the  boy's  higher  —  that  is, 
religious  —  life.  To  illustrate,  the  conventional  agencies  of  religious 
culture  in  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association  are  the  Bible  class 
and  religious  meeting,  but  instead  of  an  unorganized  meeting  modeled 
in  most  respects  like  an  adult  gathering,  a  club  may  be  organized  of 
the  entire  membership,  with  officers,  dues,  rules,  etc., —  boys  readily 
take  to  parliamentary  law, —  and  the  particular  form  of  meeting  or 
means  to  religious  culture  may  be  carried  on  by  the  leading  boys  with 
but  little  adult  supervision.  Bible  classes  may  be  organized  in  the  same 
way.     There  are  some  so  organized  where  the  boys  debate  on  Bible  topics. 

The  fondness  for  secrecy  in  organization  has  been  taken  advantage 
of  for  the  religious  good  of  boys  in  some  associations  in  the  organizing  of 
Bible  classes  on  a  Greek-letter  fraternity  basis,  with  all  that  it  implies 
of  initiations,  grips,  signs,  passwords,  secret  sessions,  and  pins  of  mystic 
significance.  There  is  the  gang  idea  for  younger  boys  of  red  Indian 
organization,  with  braves,  sagamores,  and  sachems. 

Another  point  of  contact  is  the  hero-worshiping  tendency.  All 
the  notorious  prize-fighters  have  an  immense  following  among  boys  of 
all  classes.  The  feats  of  our  naval  and  military  heroes  during  the 
Spanish- American  war  stirred  boydom  to  the  core.  The  most  eloquent 
clergyman  in  the  city  will  not  attract  boys  to  a  religious  meeting  to  half 
the  extent  the  popular  Yale  or  Harvard  half-back  will.  The  boy  is 
quick  to  recognize  that  the  fighter  or  runner  or  football-player  must  use 


304  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

his  brains  as  well  as  his  muscles.  He  knows  that  the  clever  or  "  foxy  " 
athlete  is  usually  the  winner.  To  admire  mental  and  moral  strength 
is  the  next  natural  step  that  we  may  help  the  boy  to  take.  The  material 
for  illustration  and  study  may  not  only  be  drawn  from  the  Old  and 
New  Testament  characters,  but  from  the  fascinating  field  of  missionary 
effort,  with  its  heroes  of  the  Faith.  All  history  in  the  past  and  history 
in  the  making  furnish  examples  of  men  and  women  who  fought  and 
sacrificed  for  high  principles.  The  heroes  are  not  all  dead.  We  can 
make  more  vivid  the  Josephs  and  Samuels,  Joshuas  and  Daniels,  of 
ancient  times  by  combining  with  their  study  their  modern  types  from 
industrial,  professional,  or  political  life.  The  point  is  to  take  every 
advantage  of  the  hero-loving  instinct  to  bring  to  the  boy  the  examples 
of  the  best  sort  of  heroism,  to  help  him  to  feel  that  present-day  living  is 
not  all  pleasure-seeking  or  money-grubbing,  and  that  there  is  a  chance 
for  him  to  do  something  heroic.  Jesus  Christ  may  be  made  the  boys' 
Hero  as  well  as  the  boys'  Saviour.  Because  the  boy  is  a  hero-worshiper 
he  is  an  idealist.  He  will  overlook  the  faults  and  magnify  the  virtues  of 
his  ideal.  Usually  the  ideal  takes  on  the  flesh  and  blood  of  some  older 
person  whom  he  thoroughly  likes  and  whose  ways  of  doing  and  ways 
of  thinking  he  promptly  imitates. 

Within  a  year  or  so  a  number  of  boys'  departments  have  secured  ex- 
cellent results  in  their  Bible-class  work  by  having  popular  older  boys 
act  as  teachers.  Judged  by  educational  standards,  the  teaching  does 
not  rank  very  high,  but  it  ties  up  a  group  of  boys  to  some  one  whom 
they  sincerely  believe  in  and  whom  they  want  to  be  like.  The  older 
boy  feels  the  responsibiUty  of  his  position  as  most  adult  teachers  do  not, 
and  he  is  being  developed  in  usefulness,  instead  of  being  just  a  recipient 
of  the  privileges  the  association  offers. 

We  find  the  adolescent  boy  to  be  a  realist  as  well  as  an  idealist.  To 
succeed  in  his  rehgious  education,  we  must  keep  in  mind  real  ends. 
ReUgious  impulses  must  have  a  practical  outlet  in  something  more  than 
glibness  in  answering  questions  in  the  Bible  class.  In  fact,  too  much 
religious  work  for  the  boy  is  separated  from  the  real  life  of  the  boy. 
It  is  too  external.  It  is  a  matter  to  the  boy  for  a  definite  time  and 
definite  place  and  from  a  definite  book.  We  must  make  it  easy  for  the 
boy  to  give  expression  to  his  religious  impulses  in  many  ways  of  useful 
effort.  Help  him  to  find  opportunities  that  are  religious,  in  the  broad 
sense  as  well  as  in  the  more  restricted.  Praying  or  talking  to  another 
boy  about  Christ  is  good;  so  is  keeping  the  back  alley  clean. 

Service  for  the  good  of  others  counteracts  a  tendency  for  too  much 
introspection;  a  tendency  in  some  cases  running  into  morbidness,  with 
much  attending  mental  suffering. 


THE   PROBLEMS   OF   A   TWENTIETH-CENTURY   CITY 
Outlines  of  a  Course  in  Philanthropies 

PROFESSOR  H.  M.  BURR 

INTERNATIONAL  YOUNG  MEN's  CHRISTIAN  ASSOCIATION  TRAINING-SCHOOL, 
SPRINGFIELD,  MASSACHUSETTS 

The  following  outline  has  been  prepared  in  response  to  the  request 
of  the  committee  of  the  Department  of  Associations  for  a  course  of 
twenty-five  lessons  in  "  Philanthropies. "  It  was  the  intention  of  the 
committee  that  the  word  "  philanthropy  "  should  be  used  in  its  large 
sense,  thus  allowing  the  treatment  of  the  "  Problems  of  a  Twentieth- 
century  City  "  under  that  head.  Before  outlining  such  a  course,  it  is 
in  order  to  give  some  reasons  why  such  a  course  should  have  an  im- 
portant place  in  a  curriculum  of  religious  education. 

Such  a  curriculum  must  include  not  merely  the  study  of  the  nature 
and  history  of  religion  and  the  psychology  of  the  religious  nature,  but 
also  the  activities  of  religion.  By  religious  activities  is  meant  those  to 
which  men  are  inspired  by  a  religious  motive,  or  which  are  the  products 
of  religious  institutions  or  incentives.  It  is  not  necessary  for  us  to  enter 
into  any  careful  analysis  of  the  nature  of  the  religious  motive.  It  is 
enough  to  call  attention  to  the  fact  that  from  the  beginning  Christianity 
has  expressed  itself  in  philanthropy.  A  genuine  love  to  God  has  always 
expressed  itself  in  the  service  of  man.  Such  being  the  case,  a  study 
of  the  principles  and  practice  of  social  service  must  be  of  first  importance 
in  religious  education;  and  that,  not  merely  for  the  sake  of  religious 
intelligence,  but  for  the  development  of  the  religious  nature. 

A  study  of  philanthropy  will  naturally  center  in  the  city,  since 
cities  are  the  strategic  points  of  our  modern  civilization.  In  the  cities 
are  massed,  not  merely  the  most  powerful  economic  and  political  forces, 
but  also  the  most  powerful  ethical  and  educational  forces.  In  the 
cities  all  the  forces  which  make  for  righteousness  and  against  it  meet 
in  deadly  conflict.  We  find  there  are  not  merely  all  the  problems  of 
the  ages  past,  but  of  the  age  present  and  to  come.  Cities  are  on  the 
firing-line  of  the  march  of  civilization. 

The  Young  Men's  Christian  Association  is  itself  a  product  of  city 
life.  It  is  an  organized  attempt  on  the  part  of  the  church  to  meet  one 
of  the  most  pressing  needs  of  city  life,  a  social  center  for  young  men, 
where  all  wholesome  and  educative  influences  shall  be  massed  attract- 
ively and  effectively.     We  have  long  since  recognized  that  the  effective 

305 


3o6  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

worker  must  be  an  expert  in  all  that  pertains  to  the  life  of  young  men. 
It  is  evident  that  the  men  who  are  in  the  field  are  realizing  that  they 
must  study  not  only  the  young  man  himself,  but  the  great  city  of  which 
he  is  an  organic  part.  The  secretaries  and  directors  of  the  association 
must  become  experts  in  municipal  sociology.  In  studying  the  lives  of 
young  men,  they  will  become  so  of  necessity.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  the 
officers  of  the  association  constitute  a  natural  bureau  of  information 
as  to  all  the  forces  and  conditions  of  city  life  which  affect  young  men. 
In  some  of  our  largest  and  most  effective  associations,  the  secretaries 
are  becoming  recognized  as  specialists  in  the  problems  of  city  life,  both 
to  the  benefit  of  the  city  and  their  ovm  work. 

In  order  to  meet  these  conditions,  it  is  clear  that  the  study  of  municipal 
sociology  should  be  a  part  of  the  training  of  those  who  are  to  be  leaders 
in  association  work,  but  in  addition  to  this  there  is  a  large  group  of 
young  men  in  every  city  community  who  need  to  study  intelligently  and 
thoroughly  the  problems  of  city  life  and  the  forces  which  make  for  civic 
righteousness. 

The  following  is  the  outline  of  a  course  of  twenty-five  such  lessons, 
designed  to  meet  the  needs  of  young  men  in  our  average  associations. 
It  is  a  modification  of  a  course  given  to  the  students  in  the  Young  Men's 
Christian  Association  Training  School  in  Springfield,  where  a  similar 
course  is  being  followed  in  the  local  Association. 

Owing  to  limitations  of  time  and  space,  only  the  general  headings 
of  the  lessons  have  been  given,  with  a  suggestive  but  not  complete  bibli- 
ography. 

The  conduct  of  the  course  in  any  special  field  will  be  determined 
by  local  conditions,  and  the  teachers,  speakers,  and  books  which  are 
available.  The  following  suggestions  will  apply,  however,  in  most  city 
associations:  The  class  should  be  organized  as  a  club,  say  a  "  Civic 
Club,"  or  a  "  Social  Welfare  Club,"  with  president,  vice-president, 
secretary,  treasurer,  and  at  least  a  programme  and  social  committee.  It 
will  help  the  effectiveness  of  the  club  immensely  if  a  man  of  high  standing 
in  the  community  can  be  secured  as  president.  If  possible,  a  teacher 
should  be  chosen  who  is  familiar  with  the  general  field  to  be  covered, 
and  a  specialist  in  some  part  of  it.  To  him  should  be  given  the  general 
organization  of  the  course  of  study  and  the  assignment  of  special  topics 
of  investigation  to  members  of  the  club.  If  the  club  or  class  is  well 
officered  and  respectable  in  size  and  enthusiasm,  it  will  not  be  difficult 
to  get  in  as  speakers  men  who  are  specialists  in  some  department  of 
philanthropy,  or  who  are  or  have  been  in  the  service  of  the  city.  A 
large  club  will  be  able  to  attract  speakers  of  more  than  local  fame. 


THE  PROBLEMS  OF  A  TWENTIETH  CENTURY  CITY      307 

Ideally,  as  large  a  number  of  themes  as  possible  should  be  given  to  the 
members  of  the  club  for  investigation.  Care  must  be  taken,  however, 
to  distribute  such  studies  in  such  a  way  as  to  break  up  any  monotony. 
Club  suppers  and  occasional  "  ladies'  nights  "  will  add  to  the  enthusi- 
asm of  the  organization,  and  so  to  the  quality  of  its  work. 

The  following  suggestions  may  be  of  help  in  carrying  out  such  a  course 
as  the  one  outlined.  "  The  City  in  its  Relation  to  Civihzation  "  may 
be  the  theme  of  an  inspirational  and  suggestive  address  given  by  the 
teacher  or  any  capable  man  in  sympathy  with  the  aims  of  the  club. 
After  such  an  address  will  be  a  good  time  to  organize  the  club.  "  The 
Growth  of  Modem  Cities  "  can  probably  best  be  treated  by  the  teacher, 
making  use  of  the  charts  given  in  the  last  Statistical  Atlas.  The  sub- 
jects of  lessons  3,4,  5,6,  can  be  divided  between  specialists  and  members 
of  the  class.  The  city  physician,  the  chairman  of  the  board  of  health, 
the  city  forester,  and  the  officers  of  local  hospital  associations  should  be 
available.  As  to  how  far  the  problems  of  morals,  lessons  7,  8,  9,  10, 
may  be  studied  through  investigations  of  local  conditions,  there  will 
be  difference  of  opinion.  The  literature  of  the  subject  is  copious  and 
well  adapted  to  analysis  by  members  of  the  club.  In  the  study  of  the 
problems  of  philanthropy  the  representatives  of  local  institutions  can 
be  used,  but  members  of  the  club  should  be  encouraged  to  visit  them 
and  report.  The  principal  of  the  high  school,  the  superintendent  of 
schools  or  teachers  should  be  enlisted  in  the  discussion  of  the  problems 
of  education.  To  lend  variety  to  the  work,  the  problems  of  adminis- 
tation  might  be  treated  through  club  debates,  while  city  officials  may 
be  secured  to  explain  the  nature  of  their  work.  The  representatives 
of  various  welfare  agencies  will  naturally  explain  the  work  of  their  or- 
ganizations. The  last  theme,  "  Christianity  and  the  Social  Spirit," 
should  be  presented  by  the  very  largest  man  available,  and  should  be 
the  grand  summing  up  of  the  year's  work. 

The  Problems  of  a  Twentieth  Century  City 
Introductory 
Lesson  i.     The  City  in  its  Relation  to  Civilization.     Historical. 
Lesson  2.     The  Growth    of   Modern    Cities.     Causes  and   Conse- 
quences. 

Health 
Lesson  3.     Dwellings.     Tenements  and  Tenement-house  Reform. 
Lesson  4.     Streets  —  Relation  to  Health,  Cleaning,  Regulation,  Use. 
Lesson  5.     Parks,  Playgrounds,  Public  Baths,  Recreation  Piers,  etc. 
Lesson  6.     Hospitals  and  Sanitaria,  Public  Hygiene, 


3o8  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

Morals 

Lesson  7.  The  Saloon.  Its  Social  Function,  Suppression,  Substitu- 
tion. 

Lesson  8.     The  Brothel.  The  Social  Evil.  Control  of  Prostitution. 

Lesson  9.  The  Theater.  Wholesome  and  Unwholesome  Amuse- 
ment. 

Lesson  10.    The  Gambling  Den.     The  Gambling  Habit  in  Business. 

Philanthropy 

Lesson  11.  The  Care  of  Dependents,  Orphans,  Paupers,  etc. 

Lesson  12.  The  Care  of  Defectives,  Idiots,  Insane,  Blind,  etc. 

Lesson  13.  The  Care  of  Dehnquents,  Jails,  Reformatories,  Courts, 
Police. 

Lesson  14.  The  Organization  of  Charities,  Indoor  and  Outdoor  Re- 
lief. 

Lesson  15.  Welfare  Work.     Special  Work  in  Store  and  Shop. 

Education 
Lesson  16.     The  Public  School.     Its  Fimction  and  Administration. 
Lesson  17.     School  Extension.     The  Wider  Utilization  of  Buildings. 
Lesson  18.     Technical  and  Physical  Education.     Religious  Educa- 
tion. * 

Administration 
Lesson  19.     The  Mayor,  Council,  Aldermen,  Departments,  Choice 
and  Control. 

Lesson  20.     Municipal  Reform.     "  The  Shame  of  American  Cities." 

Welfare  Agencies 

Lesson  21.  The  Church.     Work  of  Institutional  Church. 

Lesson  22.  The  Social  Settlements.     Neighborhood  Guilds. 

Lesson  23.  The  Young  Men's  and  Young  Women's  Christian 
Associations. 

Lesson  24.  Other  Welfare  Agencies. 

Lesson  25.  The  Social  Mission  of  Christianity. 


XI.     YOUNG  PEOPLE'S  SOCIETIES 


A  MORE  COMPREHENSIVE  BASIS  FOR  THE  UNION  OF 

YOUNG  PEOPLE  IN  THEIR  SOCIETIES 

REV.  SPENSER  B.  MEESER,  D.D. 

PASTOR  WOODWARD  AVENUE  BAPTIST  CHURCH,  DETROIT,  MICHIGAN 

Young  people's  societies  ought  to  furnish,  through  organized  sug- 
gestion, opportunity  for  the  conversion  of  impressions  of  truth  into 
expressions  of  character  and  service;  opportunity  to  translate  truth- 
impressions  into  action-expressions. 

Young  people  need  just  this  organized  effort  for  expression  of  im- 
pression, and  this,  because  they  need  the  guidance,  the  inspiriting  and 
energizing, —  the  genius,  in  a  word,  for  Christian  living.  We  must  in- 
struct them  in  the  facts  of  religion,  educate  them  in  the  spirit  of  religion, 
and  energize  them  in  the  practice  of  religion,  by  organizing  them  for 
service  and  character- making.  Every  church,  Bible  school,  and  young 
people's  society  should  have  these  three  principles  for  maturing  of 
the  instruction  given:  (a)  Educate  the  young  people  in  religion; 
(6)  evangelize  them  through  that  education;  and  (c)  organize 
them  for  the  practice  of  the  truth  learned  and  the  life  gained  through 
the  Holy  Spirit. 

As  at  present  constituted,  young  people's  societies  are  not  inclusive 
of  all  the  forms  of  Christian  service;  but  are  organized  around  one 
form,  and  only  indifferently  acknowledge  and  cultivate  other  forms 
of  Christian  service.  They  are  organized  around  the  prayer-meeting 
idea.  They  are  not  broad  enough  at  the  base.  They  permit  any  form 
of  Christian  service;  they  require  one  form.  When  the  requirement 
is  met,  the  members  may  engage  in  many  services;  until  the  require- 
ment is  met,  no  matter  how  many  forms  of,  or  how  much  of,  service 
is  done,  one  cannot  be  a  member.  Explicitly  in  a  pledge,  or  impHcitly 
in  a  constitution,  the  organific  principle,  the  basis  of  union,  is  the  prayer- 
meeting,  conducting  it  or  taking  part  in  it.  That  is  sine  qua  non. 
After  that,  several  things;  equal  with  that,  or  before  it,  nothing.  That 
is  why  in  almost  any  church,  it  is  true  that  a  larger  portion  of  young 
people  are  not  in  these  societies.  That  is  why  these  societies,  as  at 
present  constituted,  cannot  meet  this  need.  Thousands  of  young  peo- 
ple cannot  worthily,  or  to  edification,  either  pray  or  exhort  in  meeting. 
Thousands  more  ought  not,  because  of  immaturity  of  experience,  lack 

309 


3IO  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

of  knowledge,  and  failure  of  character.  Thousands  more  should  be 
at  home  when  evening  meetings  are  held,  and  have  no  advantage  to 
Christian  character  in  being  abroad  nights,  when  they  should  be  at 
home  under  protection  of  parents.  Especially  is  this  true  of  junior 
societies.  The  pity  of  putting  all  young  people  through  that  test  of 
speaking  in  meeting!  The  blunders  many  have  made  in  supposing 
that  that  is  the  goal  of  Christian  service,  or,  as  some  think,  the  essence 
of  it!  The  pathos  of  the  junior  societies!  with  their  temptation  to 
unreality,  and  the  attempts  of  the  children  to  bear  testimony  concern- 
ing a  Christian  experience  they  never  had,  and  never  could  have,  nor- 
mally, at  their  age.  My  point  is,  simply,  that  the  prayer-meeting  is 
not  all,  nor  is  it  the  essential  Christian  service. 

The  true  and  comprehensive  basis  for  such  an  organization  as  I 
have  in  mind,  and  such  as  young  people  need  —  the  true  basis  —  is, 
any  form  oj  Christian  service.  Any  one  willing  to  give  himself  to  any 
form  of  Christian  service  should  be  included  in  the  membership, 
come  under  direction  of,  and  co-operate  with,  the  society.  The  prayer- 
meeting  service  is  one,  and  a  profoundly  important,  form  of  that  ser- 
vice; but  there  are  others.  A  primary  element  in  the  final  form  of 
yoimg  people's  societies  is,  that  the  basis  of  union  shall  be  made  to  be 
comprehensive,  and  the  essential  test  oj  membership,  simply  some  kind 
oj  service  done  jor  Christ's  sake. 

It  is  my  firm  and  growing  conviction  that  the  young  people's 
society  in  a  church  should  be  the  manual-training  department,  the 
school  of  practice,  the  workshop,  for  the  expression  in  deeds  of  the 
truth  learned  in  the  study  of  God's  word,  and  in  the  preaching  of  the 
minister. 

The  present  plan  of  the  young  people's  organization  is  artificial  and 
mechanical,  analytic  and  not  constructive.  It  applies  a  test  as  the 
basis  for  a  general  organization,  and  then  attempts  to  set  at  a  variety 
of  work  (in  so  far  as  it  departs  from  one  idea  at  all)  those  who  have 
first  submitted  to  the  test. 

The  true  plan  appears  to  be  to  have  organized  groups,  undertaking 
such  things  as  they  may  wish  to  do,  or  can  do,  or  as  are  appropriate 
for  them.  These  groups  should  then  be  federated  in  a  general  organi- 
zation, the  membership  basis  of  which  comprehends  all  those  things 
included  in  the  groups,  and  any  others  which  may  be  apparent  as 
likely  to  become  the  central  idea  of  other  groups.  Such  a  plan  is 
inductive,  constructive,  and  comprehensive. 

I  herewith  submit  a  proposed  or  model  constitution,  suggesting 
the  form  of  such  an  organization. 


A  BASIS  FOR  THE  UNION  OF  YOUNG  PEOPLE  311 

Model  Constitution  for  Young  People's  Unions 

Preamble.  In  order  to  the  unification  of  young  people's  work  in 
those  churches  where  there  are  a  number  of  organizations  composed 
of  young  people,  the  following  model  constitution  is  recommended: 

Name.     This  organization  shall  be  called  "  +  of  the  church." 

Object.  Its  object  shall  be  the  correlation  of  the  various  depart- 
ments of  young  people's  work,  and  the  close  relation  of  it  to  the  work 
of  the  church  itself,  under  the  leadership  of  the  Pastor. 

Membership.  The  membership  shall  consist  of  all  those  who  are 
members  of  the  existing  organizations  of  young  people  in  the  church, 
which  have  received  the  approval  of  the  church;  and  of  members  of 
all  organizations  of  young  people  which  may  be  formed  with  the  sanc- 
tion of  the  church  hereafter;  or  any  other  young  persons  who  will 
declare  their  purpose  to  engage  in  some  one  or  more  forms  of  Christian 
service. 

The  Council  of  Conference.  There  shall  be  a  Council  of  Con- 
ference, consisting  of  the  Pastor,  the  President  and  Secretary  of  each 
young  people's  organization,  of  which  Council  the  Pastor  shall  be  the 
Chairman,  which  shall  meet  at  least  once  a  month,  to  consider  the  en- 
tire work  of  the  young  people  of  the  church.  The  representatives,  in 
this  Council,  of  the  different  organizations,  shall  report,  to  their  re- 
spective bodies,  such  plans  as  have  been  suggested  by  the  council  for 
the  advancement  of  the  work  as  a  whole.  This  Council  shall  prepare 
by-laws  for  the  government  of  the  union,  and  present  the  same  for 
adoption  by  members  of  the  union.  This  Council  shall  also  seek  out 
young  persons  who  for  any  reason  cannot  engage  in  any  of  the  forms 
of  service  represented  by  the  affiliated  bodies,  but  who  will  commit 
themselves  individually  to  some  other  definite  Christian  service. 

Relation  of  Union  to  Affiliated  Societies.  The  different 
organizations,  while  being  left  free  to  carry  out  plans  of  their  own 
initiation,  shall  be  regarded  as  departments  of  the  Young  People's 
Union,  and  will  be  expected  to  maintain  the  closest  afl&liation  with 
each  other,  under  the  general  direction  of  the  Council  of  Conference. 

Meetings  of  the  Union.  The  Union  shall  hold  quarterly  meet- 
ings for  general  open  discussion,  proposing  new  work,  organization  of 
new  departments,  etc. 

Relation  of  the  Union  to  Existing  Young  People's  Unions. 
It  is  advised,  in  case  there  is  a  young  people's  society  already  existing  in 
the  church,  if  this  Constitution  is  adopted,  that,  to  avoid  confusion 
of  names,  the  title  of  the  existing  body  be  changed  to  "  The  Devotional 


312  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

League  of  the ,  "  thus    indicating  that   the  existing   society  is  a 

department  of  the  new  Union.' 

Type  of  the  Pledge.  "  Relying  upon  Divine  help,  I  hereby  de- 
clare my  purpose  to  be  true  to  Christ  in  all  things  and  at  all  times; 
to  seek  the  New  Testament  standard  of  Christian  experience  and 
life;  and  to  engage  actively  in  one  or  more  lines  of  Christian  service." 

Kinds  of  Organizations  Eligible.  Among  the  organizations  or 
societies  such  as  are  in  mind  for  this  affiliation  are  Baptist  Young 
People's  Unions,  Christian  Endeavor  Societies,  Epworth  Leagues, 
Westminster  Leagues,  Young  People's  Societies,  King's  Daughters  and 
Sons,  Boys'  Clubs,  Girls'  Clubs,  Missionary  Circles,  Farther  Light 
Circles,  Young  Men's  Associations,  Young  Women's  Associations,  etc. 
All  members  of  these  and  kindred  societies,  groups,  clubs  (they  being 
approved  by  the  church),  are  eligible  to  membership  in  this  Union. 

By-Laws.  To  this  Constitution  may  be  added,  by  method  described 
in  the  section  on  "  Council  of  Conference,"  all  by-laws,  rules  of  order, 
etc.,  desired  by  any  Union  for  its  government. 

The  question  what  lines  of  organization  should  be  followed  for  the 
groups  in  the  proposed  federation  or  union,  is  of  serious  moment. 
One  or  two  principles  must  undoubtedly  be  followed,  (a)  Every 
group  should  be  engaged  in  the  culture  of  Christian  character  through 
some  educational  or  study  work,  and  likewise  engaged  in  some  service 
for  expression  of  character  and  its  culture  in  missionary  or  benevo- 
lent or  social  work.  That  is,  each  group  should  have  as  its  aim  an 
inner  culture  and  an  outer  service.  If  the  method  followed  is  to  be 
the  organization  of  the  Bible  school  classes,  some  study  additional  to 
that  undertaken  in  the  Bible  school  should,  if  possible,  be  made  a  dis- 
tinct feature. 

(b)  We  should  not  endeavor  to  limit  the  forms  of  expression  to 
such  only  as  may  be  universally  used,  failure  in  most  cases  arising 
from  the  endeavor  to  find  some  one  form  equally  applicable  and  help- 
ful to  all.  We  must  keep  in  mind  the  infinite  variety  of  temperament 
ability,  habit,  and  education,  so  that  the  suggested  forms  shall  touch  as 
many  of  the  varied  types  among  the  young  people  as  is  possible. 

(c)  We  should  not  insist  upon  mature  expression  of  Christian 
character  from  immature  Christian  young  people.  Therefore  the 
kinds  of  service  to  be  regarded  as  acceptable  need  not  all  of  them  pre- 

'  The  existence  of  a  society  of  any  other  name,  having  in  mind  chiefly  the  devotional  aim, 
need  not  present  any  serious  difficulty.  Its  members  become  members  of  the  larger  union  on  the 
same  basis  as  membei-s  of  other  organizations  having  other  aims  chiefly  in  mind,  and  will  find  in 
the  new  affiliation  larger  opportunity  for  making  their  particular  work  the  devotional  center  of  the 
whole  Union,  on  the  purely  voluntary  basis,  instead  of  the  pledge  basis. 


A  BASIS  FOR  THE  UNION  OF  YOUNG  PEOPLE  313 

sent  the  form  of  mature  piety;  but  need  only  have  the  quahties  of 
utility,  benevolence,  morality,  and  a  general  helpfulness  which  looks 
toward  a  sane  and  mature  piety. 

What  can  we  do,  what  shall  we  do,  while  waiting  for  the  possibiUty 
of  such  an  organization? 

1.  Try  to  persuade  your  young  people's  society  to  organize  on 
this  comprehensive  basis.  Point  out  the  failure  to  include  all  young 
people  in  church,  and  especially  to  save  to  the  Bible  school  and  church 
the  young  men  and  women  sUpping  away.  Exalt  to  due  and  proper 
place  all  forms  of  Christian  activity. 

2.  If  you  cannot  persuade  the  young  people  so  to  organize,  as  to 
include  freely  all  who  will  do  something  for  Christ,  without  requiring  the 
prayer-meeting  test,  then  organize  your  Bible  school  classes,  each  class 
by  itself,  around  some  form  of  service,  which  they  may  voluntarily 
choose  to  enter  upon.  Here,  I  beheve,  is  one  way  of  preserving  the 
interest  of  young  people  in  the  Bible  school,  and  of  retaining  the  scholars 
at  that  age,  when  they  are  wont  to  give  up  the  school. 

There  is  also  a  group  of  social  reasons  why  the  organized  class  is 
the  best  way  to  organize  the  young  people  in  the  school  and  church . 
Nowhere  in  the  church  have  the  yoimg  people  associated  themselves 
in  a  group  so  much,  or  so  nearly  wholly,  because  of  social  affinities, 
as  in  the  average  Bible  school  class.  They  begin  as  a  class  in  the 
wholly  democratic  spirit  of  little  children,  and  are  advanced  in  a  body 
to  the  intermediate  department,  but  differentiation  soon  begins.  Some 
drop  out,  some  seek  other  classes,  new  scholars,  generally  social  com- 
rades, are  brought  in,  and  the  changes  of  evolution  continue  mitil  it  is 
soon  apparent  that  the  average  Bible  school  class  is  the  most  homo- 
geneous and  actually  acceptable  company,  socially,  around  the  church. 
What  differences  have  been  incapable  of  elimination  have  been  min- 
imized by  constant  association;  and  in  youth  the  class  represents,  as 
nearly  as  possible  under  rehgious  auspices,  the  ideal  of  good-fellow- 
ship, a  "  gang  "  if  it  be  boys,  a  "  set  "  if  it  be  girls.  The  social  hun- 
ger aids,  therefore;  and  if  this  social  imit  be  made  a  religious  unit, 
a  service  unit,  by  organization  for  a  religious  purpose,  another  serious 
element  of  continuity  in  religious  life  is  added. 

The  longer  I  regard  the  matter,  the  less  sure  I  am  that,  for  all 
the  needs  of  opportunity  to  convert  truth-impression  into  action-ex- 
pression, the  organized  classes  are  not  better  than  any  single  organiza- 
tion of  young  people,  however  comprehensive  may  be  its  plan  and 
outlook.  Only  experience  can  tell.  The  idea  is,  in  general,  new. 
Time  would  reveal;  but  some  experience  has  given  assurance  that  it  is  so. 


314  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

Two  classes  of  objection  arise  naturally:  First  as  to  the  multi- 
plicity of  organizations.  Such  would  be  the  case  only  when  there  was 
no  inspiring  Christian  life  to  keep  the  many  organizations  in  action; 
that  there  is  a  multiplicity  of  services,  and  each  idea  needs  a  body  after 
its  kind.  We  need,  for  the  full  opportunity  of  developing  each  and  all, 
the  searching  emphasis  upon  each  individual,  which  only  many  small 
organizations  can  efiect. 

The  second  objection  likely  to  arise  is  that  such  a  plan  institutes 
and  perpetuates  cliques  among  the  young  people.  Let  it  be  admitted 
at  once.  It  does.  But  I  raise  the  question,  "  Why  not  cultivate  the 
clique?"  How  more  effectively  reach  and  hold  the  individuals?  Is 
not  this  the  idea  of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  in  their  boys'  departments  and 
men's  movements  ?  They  have  recognized  that,  in  all  life,  boys  group 
themselves,  according  to  social  affinities,  into  what  are  called  "  gangs," 
and  that  if  they  are  effectually  to  win  the  individual  boy,  they  must 
carry  the  "  gang  "  with  them.  Their  advantage  is  that  they  recog- 
nize no  denominational  group,  but  can  take  and  work  with  the  boys 
in  the  group  to  which  their  social  affinities  have  joined  them.  The 
Young  Women's  Associations  already  recognize  and  work  on  the  same 
principle  among  young  women. 

Now,  why  not  in  the  church,  young  people's  society,  and  Bible 
school,  cultivate  the  clique?  The  cHques  are  there,  anyhow.  No 
one,  who  has  ever  sought  social  imity  in  church  or  school,  has  been  able 
to  escape  the  knowledge  of  this;  and  the  social  unity  of  either  has  al- 
ways been  fovmd  wellnigh  impossible,  save  in  very  small  churches, 
which  are,  to  all  intents,  simply  a  group  of  those  socially  affiliated. 

What  young  people's  societies  must  do  for  young  people,  then,  is, 
give  largest  opportunity  for  action-expression  of  truth  impression,  or 
the  rationale  of  Bible-study  is  lost,  and  rational  young  people  will  give 
it  up. 

The  best  way  to  grant  this  is  by  an  organized  effort  that  will  both 
suggest  and  make  ways  for  action-expression. 

The  present  young  people's  societies  are  organized  too  narrowly 
to  give  this  opportunity. 

It  is  needful  to  reorganize  them  on  a  more  comprehensive  basis, 
inclusive  of  all  forms  of  Christian  activity. 


A  BASIS  FOR  THE  UNION  OF  YOUNG  PEOPLE  315 

Discussion 

MR.  WILLIAM  SHAW 

TREASURER  OF  THE  UNITED  SOCIETY  OF  CHRISTIAN  ENDEAVOR, 
BOSTON,  MASSACHUSETTS 

The  title  of  the  paper  is,  in  my  opinion,  as  misleading  as  the  plan 
suggested  is  impracticable  and  unworkable  in  the  average  church.  To 
be  really  comprehensive,  it  should  provide  for  the  needs  of  the  average, 
not  of  the  exceptional,  church.  Instead  of  a  more  comprehensive  basis 
for  the  union  of  young  people  in  their  societies,  it  outlines  a  plan  which, 
if  it  could  be  used  at  all,  could  be  used  only  by  the  small  minority  of 
churches  that  have  a  large  membership  and  a  multiplicity  of  organiza- 
tions. Instead  of  simplifying  the  machinery,  it  makes  it  more  complex. 
All  it  pleads  for  is  secured  now  in  our  societies  wherever  there  is  compe- 
tent local  leadership,  and  without  that  no  plan  will  succeed. 

By  its  system  of  committee  and  department  work,  the  young  people's 
society  meets  the  needs  of  the  average  church,  and  is  doing  an  infinite 
variety  of  helpful  Christian  service.  It  also  has  the  added  advantage 
over  the  plan  suggested  in  the  paper,  that,  instead  of  one  little  group  of 
young  people  having  a  monopoly  of  one  kind  of  service,  all  the  members 
have  an  equal  opportunity  for  training  along  special  lines,  and  also  for 
development  as  all-round  Christian  workers.  Provision  is  also  made 
in  the  present  plan  of  work  by  which  the  exceptional  churches  with 
large  numbers  of  young  people  can  organize  their  society  into  two  or 
more  sections,  thus  making  a  place  for  the  training  and  development 
of  every  young  person  in  the  congregation. 

Furthermore,  the  Christian  Endeavor  method  already  provides  a 
simple  plan  for  federating  clubs,  classes,  and  organizations  of  various 
kinds,  doing  specific  work  in  the  local  church,  by  which  the  members 
become  affiliated  members  of  the  broader,  more  definitely  religious,  and 
more  comprehensive  organization,  the  Society  of  Christian  Endeavor. 
The  executive  committee,  which  consists  of  the  officers,  chairmen  of 
committees,  and  superintendents  of  departments,  furnishes  a  cabinet 
through  which  the  pastor  can  suggest  and  direct  every  line  of  work. 

In  its  reference  to  the  junior  societies  and  the  prayer-meetings,  the 
paper,  in  my  opinion,  utterly  misstates  the  real  condition  of  things.  It 
misrepresents  thousands  of  the  most  devoted  and  intelligent  workers  in 
our  churches,  who  are  freely  giving  their  time  to  training  the  boys  and 
girls  in  our  junior  societies  in  perfectly  natural  and  normal  ways  to  love 
and  work  for  Christ  and  the  church.  Junior  societies  do  not  meet  at 
night,  neither  do  they  encourage  the  giving  of  unreal  religious  experien- 


3i6  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

ces.  I  have  attended  hundreds  of  junior  meetings  and  conferred  with 
thousands  of  superintendents,  and  have  never  yet  seen  the  "pathetic  and 
harmful  exhibitions  "  referred  to  in  the  paper.  But  I  have  seen  com- 
panies of  eager  Httle  ones  repeating  their  Bible  verses,  singing  their 
beautiful  songs,  listening  to  the  old,  old  story  of  Christ's  love  for  the 
children,  planning  for  their  missionary  or  temperance  meeting,  making 
scrap-books  for  the  hospitals,  packing  boxes  for  the  missionaries,  and 
carrying  sunshine  and  cheer  and  flowers  and  fruit  to  the  sick  and  infirm. 

Why  should  it  be  considered  such  an  unnatural  thing  for  a  Christian 
to  take  part  in  a  prayer-meeting?  Why  should  the  prayer-meeting  be 
reserved  for  the  gifted  few  who  think  they  can  speak  ,"  to  edification?" 
It  is  that  idea  that  has  nearly  killed  our  prayer -meetings  and  relegated 
to  the  minister  the  expression  of  religious  truth.  We  do  not  apply  that 
rule  in  our  family  life.  Why  should  we  in  the  church  family?  Not 
even  modern  pedagogy  has  applied  that  rule  in  our  schools,  for  still 
every  scholar,  gifted  or  ungifted,  is  required  to  "take  part  "  in  the 
classroom. 

Our  young  people's  prayer-meetings  and  junior  societies  are  not 
places  where  unreal  experiences  are  related  or  expected.  But  they  are 
places  where  the  mature  and  the  immature,  the  experienced  and  the 
inexperienced,  can  in  appropriate  ways  express  themselves  as  members 
in  the  family  of  God  and  scholars  in  the  school  of  Christ.  If  the  charac- 
ter of  the  meetings  prevents  the  natural  expression  of  religious  truth, 
let  us  change  their  character. 

When  the  day  of  Pentecost  was  fully  come,  every  man  heard  the 
message  in  his  own  language.  They  need  to  hear  it  to-day  in  the  lan- 
guage of  the  mechanic  and  the  merchant,  the  clerk  and  the  cash-girl,  the 
shipper  and  the  stenographer,  the  servant  and  the  mistress,  the  rich  and 
the  poor,  the  educated  and  the  uneducated. 

But,  having  said  this  for  the  prayer-meeting,  and  much  more  could  be 
said,  I  affirm  that  the  present  young  people's  society  is  a  training-school 
for  every  form  of  Christian  service,  with  this  advantage  over  the  plan 
suggested  in  the  paper,  that  it  has  a  heart  at  the  center,  keeping  the  hands 
and  feet  and  brain  supplied  with  rich  red  blood.  I  could  weary  you  and 
fill  the  volume  of  proceedings  with  reports  of  actual  work  done  and 
service  rendered  along  every  line  of  missionary,  educational,  social,  and 
philanthropic  work  by  our  young  people's  societies.  They  stand  for 
expression  by  both  life  and  lip.     Not  either,  but  both. 

Here  is  an  outline  of  the  varied  forms  of  service  in  which  Christian 
Endeavor  Societies  are  engaged  and  for  which  they  will  receive  special 
recognition  at  the  Baltimore  convention. 


A  BASIS  FOR  THE  UNION  OF  YOUNG  PEOPLE  317 

I.  (a)  Recognition  for  societies  that  for  six  months  have  had  seventy- 
five  per  cent  of  their  active  members  present  and  participating  in  the 
meetings. 

(b)  For  societies  in  which  five  or  more  of  their  members  have 
joined  the  church. 

(c)  For  societies  that  have  fifty  per  cent,  of  their  members  "  Com- 
rades of  the  Quiet  Hour." 

II.  (a)  For  conspicuously  good  committee-work  along  any  line. 

(b)  For  forming  and  sustaining  junior  and  intermediate  societies 
by  junior  committees  of  the  young  people's  society. 

(c)  For  forming  affiliated  groups  of  young  people  along  mission- 
ary, literary,  musical  lines,  boys'  clubs,  etc. 

III.  For  societies  that  have  made  special  efforts  along  lines  of  reli- 
gious education,  that  have  taken  one  or  more  courses  in  the  correspond- 
ence school,  formed  a  Christian  Endeavor  correspondence  school 
class,  mission-study  class,  a  class  for  the  study  of  the  Bible,  of  church 
history  and  doctrine,  or  other  effort  of  this  sort. 

IV.  For  societies  that  show  the  best  record  of  beneficence,  that  have 
given  the  largest  sums  per  capita  for  missions,  or  that  have  the  most 
members  belonging  to  the  Tenth  Legion,  or  that  have  been  successful 
in  some  other  definite  plan  of  systematic  and  proportionate  giving. 

V.  For  societies  that  report  conspicuously  good  work  for  the  welfare 
of  their  community,  social  or  political  reforms,  temperance  work,  and 
other  lines  of  good  citizenship,  education,  and  public  spirit,  town  and 
village  improvement  in  beautifying  public  and  private  property,  etc. 

If  these  things  are  not  done  in  any  certain  society,  it  is  not  because 
the  opportunity  is  wantmg,  but  because  the  society  lacks  the  leadership 
or  ability  to  grasp  it.  What  is  needed  is  more  power,  not  another  ma- 
chine. Sometimes  objection  is  made  to  the  wording  of  the  pledge. 
Then  write  a  better  one.  Sometimes  additions  are  needed  to  the  con- 
stitution.    Make  them;  the  opportunity  is  yours;  use  it. 


WHAT  THE  MISSIONARY  SOCIETIES  ARE  DOING  TO 
INTEREST  THE  YOUNG  PEOPLE  IN  MISSIONS 

MR.  S.  EARL  TAYLOR 

FIELD  SECRETARY  MISSIONARY  SOCIETY  OF  THE  METHODIST  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH, 

NEW  YORK  CITY 

In  February,  1905,  in  America  alone,  seventeen  of  thel  leading  mis- 
sionary boards  had  special  secretaries  who  had  supervision  of  young 
people's  work,  and  ten  other  societies  were  giving  much  attention  to  the 
subject  under  secretaries  who,  in  addition  to  supervising  the  young  peo- 
ple's work,  had  to  do  with  other  activities.  In  some  of  these  boards 
provision  has  been  made  for  a  regular  young  people's  department  with 
a  special  budget.  In  others,  provision  is  made  under  the  regular  appro- 
priation for  home  administration  and  cultivation. 

The  great  outstanding  fact  that  seventeen  of  the  leading  missionary 
societies  of  this  country  have  been  led  within  recent  years  to  give  special 
attention  to  the  missionary  education  of  the  young  is  of  prime  importance, 
whether  considered  as  a  factor  in  the  religious  education  of  the  country, 
or  in  its  relation  to  the  establishment  of  the  kingdom  of  Jesus  Christ 
upon  the  earth.  So  far  as  the  writer  has  knowledge,  one  of  the  most 
remarkable  movements  in  the  whole  range  of  religious  educational 
activities  in  this  country  is  now  taking  place  in  connection  with  what 
has  been  characterized  as  "  the  missionary  uprising  of  the  young  people." 
It  is  only  comparable  with  the  widespread  movement  in  connection 
with  the  organization  of  the  great  young  people's  societies  and  the 
parallel  movement  which  resulted  in  the  Student  Christian  Associations, 
the  Student  Volunteer  Movement  and  in  the  World's  Student  Christian 
Federation. 

One  of  the  lirst  things  being  attempted  by  the  young  people's 
departments  of  the  missionary  societies  is  to  secure  a  proper  organiza- 
tion of  the  forces.  The  work  must  practically  be  done  de  novo  in  denom- 
inations where  there  is  no  young  people's  organization,  and  even  in 
cases  where  the  great  young  people's  societies  are  organized,  the  mis- 
sionary societies  in  some  instances  have  found  it  necessary  to  place 
emphasis  upon  the  importance  of  the  organization  of  a  missionary 
department  in  connection  with  these  young  people's  societies.  Six 
years  ago  most  of  the  young  people's  societies  scheduled  quarterly 
missionary  topics  upon  the  devotional  topic-card.  Now,  however,  the 
leading  young  people's  societies  have  monthly  missionary  topics  upon 

318 


WHAT  THE  MISSIONARY  SOCIETIES  ARE  DOING        319 

the  topic-cards,  and  a  page  or  more  of  the  official  organ  of  the  society 
is  given  to  the  preparation  of  helps  for  these  meetings.  Moreover,  the 
missionary  societies,  through  the  young  people's  departments,  are 
rendering  additional  help  by  way  of  the  preparation  of  special  pro- 
grammes, and  the  collection  of  the  best  leaflet  literature  bearing  upon 
the  particular  topic  under  consideration. 

Recently,  the  series  of  Forward  Mission  Study  Courses  have  been 
projected,  and  five  splendid  courses  of  study  prepared  especially  for  the 
young  people  have  been  issued,  the  latest  book  of  the  series  being  on 
home  missions,  and  the  others  being  on  some  phase  of  foreign  mission- 
ary work.  Of  these  text-books,  100,550  have  been  sold  during  the  past 
two  years,  and  of  the  text-book,  "  Sunrise  in  the  Sunrise  Kingdom, ' '  the 
book  on  Japan  which  is  being  used  by  the  classes  this  year,  eleven 
imprint  editions  have  been  issued  for  as  many  missionary  societies  or 
denominational  publishing  houses  of  this  country,  and  several  hundred 
copies  have  been  sent  to  the  Church  Missionary  Society  in  Great  Britain. 
Not  less  than  50,000  young  people  are  stud)ang  missions  this  year  in 
America,  and  one  denomination  alone  reports  that  35,000  have  been 
enrolled  in  mission-study  under  the  direction  of  its  young  people's 
department  since   1900. 

The  rapid  development  of  missionary  work  among  young  people  is 
strikingly  illustrated  by  what  has  taken  place  in  connection  with  the 
production  of  missionary  libraries  for  young  people.  There  are  now 
two  ten-dollar  missionary  libraries,  which  are  known  respectively  as 
Missionary  Campaign  Library  No.  i  and  Missionary  Campaign  Library 
No.  2.  There  are  also  three  special  five-dollar  libraries,  designed  to  be 
used  by  the  classes  in  connection  with  their  mission,  study-work.  For 
instance,  in  connection  with  "  Simrise  in  the  Sunrise  Kingdom,"  the 
current  text-book  on  Japan,  a  library  of  nine  volumes  is  available. 
This  library  has  been  carefully  chosen  by  an  interdenominational 
library  committee,  of  which  Mr.  Harlan  P.  Beach,  the  educational 
Secretary  of  the  Student  Volunteer  Movement  is  chairman,  and  it 
undoubtedly  contains  nine  of  the  very  best  missionary  books  on 
Japan. 

The  libraries  mentioned  above  are  being  used  in  most  of  the  denom- 
inations in  connection  with  their  young  people's  work,  and  early  in  Janu- 
ary of  this  year  it  was  reported  that  8,688  of  these  libraries  had  been 
sold,  aggregating  145,405  volumes. 

Attractive  literature  upon  the  subject  of  giving  is  being  produced. 
Special  programmes  are  prepared  for  use  in  connection  with  the  devo- 
tional meetings  of  the  young  people's  societies,  and  an  increasing  number 


320  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

of  young  people  are  enrolling  under  some  form  of  Christian  steward- 
ship pledge  or  declaration  of  purpose. 

Local,  group,  metropolitan,  district,  state  and  provincial,  denomina- 
tional and  interdenominational,  national  and  international  conventions 
are  the  order  of  the  day.  Missionary  speakers  are  in  demand.  Sugges- 
tions for  missionary  departments  of  programmes  are  eagerly  sought  and 
conferences  on  practical  methods  of  missionary  work  are  among  the 
most  popular  features  of  convention  programmes.  This  means  that  the 
missionary  societies,  through  their  young  people's  departments  have  a- 
great  field  of  usefulness  in  seeking  to  guide  the  convention  activities,  so 
far  as  they  relate  to  the  cause  of  missions.  Most  of  the  young  people's 
departments  are  giving  this  question  most  careful  thought,  and  one 
young  people's  department  alone  last  spring  provided  missionary  speak- 
ers and  suggested  missionary  topics  for  more  than  sixty  conventions. 
It  has  become  necessary  for  some  of  the  missionary  societies  to  provide 
extensive  exhibits  in  dupHcate  form,  which  are  loaned  upon  occasion. 
Wherever  these  exhibits  have  been  furnished,  it  has  been  found  that 
they  are  in  constant  demand  and  therefore  in  constant  circulation. 

Much  of  the  work  outlined  above  has  been  made  possible  by  the  fact 
that  the  missionary  societies  of  America  have,  through  their  young 
people's  departments,  created  what  is  known  as  the  Young  People's 
Missionary  Movement,  which  is  practically  a  clearing-house  of  ideas. 
Any  good  plan  or  method  developed  by  one  denomination  is  through 
this  agency  readily  passed  on  to  another,  and  not  only  are  mission-study 
text-books  and  libraries  made  possible  for  interdenominational  use,  but 
accessory  material,  such  as  maps,  charts,  etc.,  is  being  made  available 
for  the  young  people  at  a  minimum  cost  by  this  organization,  which  is 
able  to  manufacture  and  conduct  its  work  on  a  wholesale  basis. 


MISSIONARY  LITERATURE  AND  YOUNG  PEOPLE 

MR.  W.  HENRY  GRANT 

HONORARY   LIBRARIAN   BOARD    OF   THE   FOREIGN   MISSIONS    LIBRARY   OF   THE 
PRESBYTERIAN   CHURCH,    NEW   YORK   CITY 

The  study  of  missions  is  the  study  of  the  world  and  its  need,  and 
what  the  gospel  has  done  and  is  doing  in  the  world.  If  the  main  object 
of  education  is  character  and  preparation  for  the  work  of  life,  and  to 
fulfil  one's  destiny  nobly,  doing  things  at  hand  with  far-sighted  vision, 
and  large  human  feeling,  and  to  know  by  personal  experience  what  it  is 
to  have  the  love  of  God  shed  abroad  in  the  heart  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  then 
missionary  hterature  holds  a  high  place  in  Christian  education.  The 
history  of  missions  is  a  /io/>e-inspiring  study.  It  corrects  the  pessimistic 
tendency  of  young  people  when  they  meet  the  social  problems  and 
rehgious  indifference  of  their  age.  Missionary  literature  contains 
incidents  of  the  highest  motive  value  to  teacher  and  taught.  It  has  an 
immediate  effect  upon  the  way  a  girl  or  boy  does  his  work.  It  applies 
to  every-day  duty  the  imperative  now  which  makes  present  effort  and 
present  study  count. 

The  problem  of  getting  missionary  literature  used  is  the  same  as  any 
other  educational  or  rehgious  problem.  It  is  a  personal  problem, 
involving  the  personaUty  of  the  teacher  or  friend.  It  is  a  problem  of 
adaptability.  It  is  a  problem  of  measure  and  correlation.  It  is  a 
problem  of  utiHzing  the  social  influences  of  the  band,  the  society,  the 
Sunday  school  class,  the  family,  etc.  It  is  a  problem  of  investment, 
participation,  interest.  Interest  is  bought  at  the  price  of  effort.  It  is 
through  the  narrow  gate  of  hard  work  we  enter  any  new  field  of  interest. 
Curiosity  may  lead  up  to  the  gate,  but  effort  is  needed  before  we  get  any 
further  than  the  threshold.  In  acquiring  a  new  art  or  in  developing  a 
dormant  faculty,  there  is  always  a  greater  quantity  of  conscious  effort  at 
the  beginning  than  there  is  later,  when  effort  itself  becomes  a  source  of 
pleasure.  Where  faithful  work  follows,  interest  begets  interest  and  goes 
on  compounding  interest  at  an  enormous  rate.  It  is  the  veteran  mis- 
sionary, the  old  missionary  war-horse,  who  is  the  most  enthusiastic  and 
most  able  to  impart  that  enthusiasm  to  others.  It  is  said  that  what  you 
get  people  to  love  is  more  important  than  what  you  get  them  to  learn. 
But  the  two  should  be  closely  united  from  the  beginning.  It  is  better 
to  get  one  book  well  mastered,  with  the  religious  motive  running  through 
it  understood,  than  many  piecemeal  references  read  aloud  in  a  missionary 

321 


322  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

meeting  without  any  correlation.  First  impulses  are  usually  imparted 
by  a  personality.  Some  encouragement  is  needed  to  make  the  young 
reader  feel  that  what  is  coming  later  is  worth  the  output  of  effort. 

Use  oj  Present  Literature.  There  are  an  increasing  number  of  selected 
lists  of  books  for  missionary  libraries.  These  can  be  had  by  writing  to 
the  different  movements  and  the  missionary  boards.  There  are  quite 
a  number  of  new  juvenile  books  for  children  under  twelve.  There  are 
almost  no  hooks  }or  boys  and  girls  over  twelve.  A  short  list  for  younger 
children  would  include:  "  Tatong,"  "  Twelve  Little  Pilgrims  Who 
Stayed  at  Home,"  "  The  Great  Big  World,"  A  Missionary  Walk  in  the 
Zoo,"  "  The  Chinese  Boy  and  Girl,"  "  Children  in  Blue  and  What 
They  Do,"  "  Gilmour  and  His  Boys,"  "  God's  Earth,  or  Well  Worth," 
"  Wliat  's  O'clock?"  "  Our  Chinese  Neighbors." 

For  those  from  ten  to  sixteen,  the  list  would  include  some  books 
which,  though  not  altogether  missionary,  serve  the  purpose  of  awakening 
interest. 

With  a  little  promoting,  for  those  who  have  developed  the  habit  of 
reading  we  may  add  the  following:  "  Bishop  Hannington  "  or  "Perils 
and  Adventure  in  Africa,"  "  John  G.  Paton,"  "  Adoniram  Judson," 
"  John  Kenneth  Mackenzie,"  "Mackay  of  Uganda,"  "  On  the  Oregon 
Trail  "  by  Parkman. 

There  are  a  few  introductory  books  for  older  young  people  who  are 
already  interested  to  some  degree  in  religious  reading.  For  example, 
"  The  Bishop's  Conversion,"  "  Little  Green  God,"  "  The  Vanguard," 
and  "  Gale's  "  Korean  Sketches." 

Missionary  Literature  Needed.  With  all  the  accumulated  treasures 
of  the  past,  much  remains  to  be  done.  We  have  as  yet  no  life  of  David 
Livingstone  suitable  for  a  boy.  This  may  be  said  of  most  of  the  litera- 
ture published.  The  making  of  a  missionary-book  or  the  writing  of  a 
missionary  article  should  be  classed  among  the  fine  arts.  Older  readers 
value  most  of  them  for  their  description  of  special  fields,  rather  than  for 
their  literary  excellence  and  appeal  to  the  imagination.  They  are  often 
better  fuel  for  a  fire  well  started  then  for  kindling. 

In  writing  books,  in  using  missionary  literature  and  books  of  travel, 
and  in  directing  others  in  their  readings  and  study,  let  us  not  become 
literary  globe-trotters  without  a  purpose.  One  of  the  leading  Japanese 
Christians  differentiates  the  Bible  from  all  other  books  by  this  expression, 
"  The  Bible  is  a  God-intoxicated  book."  Starting  with  the  missionary 
story  which  began  in  the  Old  Testament  and  was  continued  in  the  New 
Testament,  let  us  follow  the  progress  of  the  gospel  down  to  our  own  day, 
when  almost  more  are  brought  to  Christ  in  a  year  than  were  converted 


MISSIONARY  LITERATURE  AND  YOUNG  PEOPLE        323 

during  the  first  century  of  the  Christian  era.    Those  triumphs  should 
inspire  us  to  greater  endeavor  and  more  intense  devotion. 

If,  then,  the  young  people  are  to  recognize  their  high  calling  in  Christ 
Jesus,  and  are  to  take  their  part  in  the  great  world  movement  of  which 
Christ  is  leader,  they  must  be  brought  into  vital  contact  with  the  lives 
and  work  of  the  Judsons  and  Careys  and  Mofifats  of  modem  missions, 
till  each  one  shall  joyfully  cry  out  with  Paul,  the  first  foreign  missionary 
since  Calvary,  "  Christ  shall  be  magnified  in  my  body,  whether  by  Ufe 
or  by  death;  for  me  to  live  is  Christ  and  to  die  is  gain  "! 


XII.     THE  HOME 


THE  PART  OF  THE  HOME  IN  RELIGIOUS   EDUCATION 
PROFESSOR  CHARLES  R.  HENDERSON,  Ph.  D.,  D.  D. 

THE  UNIVERSITY  OF' CHICAGO,  CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS 

This  general  subject  has  already  been  ably  discussed  in  certain  as- 
pects before  this  Association.  The  present  contribution  will  come  from 
a  different  field  of  study. 

I.  Historical.  The  domestic  group,  or  "  matrimonial  institution," 
has  assumed  many  forms  during  the  rise  and  development  of  civil'zation, 
and  humanity  has  tried  all  possible  kinds  of  experiments  in  order  to 
come  to  the  conclusion  to  make  monogamy,  with  all  it  implies,  the  law 
of  social  order;  and  the  impulses  of  the  race  tend  to  become  innate  and 
the  customs  traditional,  which  require  this  form  to  be  perpetual. 

In  all  stages,  from  the  earliest  mother-group  to  the  modern  family, 
the  domestic  community  has  always  been  the  primary  association  of 
human  beings,  the  undifferentiated  stock  out  of  which  all  the  specialized 
agencies  and  institutions  of  society  have  grown.  It  would  be  incredible 
to  think  that  all  this  long,  racial  experience  has  left  no  trace  in  our  physi- 
cal nature,  our  deep  instincts,  our  traditional  conceptions,  our  social 
organization,  our  methods  of  regulating  conduct. 

While  there  has  been  no  one  universal  order  of  specialization,  there 
has  been,  in  general,  an  advance  from  the  condition  in  which  the  domestic 
group,  or  the  closely  knit  blood-kin,  did  almost  everything  for  itself 
without  exchange  of  goods  and  services,  to  the  present  situation,  in  which 
the  bread-winner  of  a  family  buys  all  he  needs  for  his  own  by  the 
exchange  of  one  form  of  service  for  all  that  the  world  has  to  offer. 

Even  now,  and  in  the  complicated  life  of  a  city,  the  family  is  an 
important  industrial  organization,  cares  for  the  health  of  its  members, 
is  alert  to  protect  them  from  danger,  governs  them  by  a  domestic  code, 
judges  their  causes,  disciplines  them  for  faults,  instructs  them  in  arts 
and  science,  trains  them  in  morality,  and  furnishes  them  a  sanctuary 
for  worship.  Only  gradually,  with  reluctance  and  pain,  do  the  parents 
transfer  their  offspring  to  the  larger  life  of  the  world  and  surrender  their 
leadership  in  culture  and  control. 

There  is  no  one  "  underlying  idea  "  in  the  family  which  will  account 
for  it.  The  family  grows  naturally  out  of  all  the  elementary  desires  of 
our  human  nature,  physical,  aesthetic,  ethical,  and  spiritual.     To  say 

324 


THE  PART  OF  THE  HOME  IN  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION     325 

with  one  very  interesting  writer  that  obedience  is  the  "  underlying  idea," 
is  to  make  us  satisfied  with  a  partial  and  superficial  explanation.  The 
family  is  a  complete  community  of  material  and  mental  goods,  and 
attempted  simplification  of  interpretation  is  distortion  and  mutilation. 
All  later  and  larger  forms  of  association  merely  enlarge  and  specialize 
the  activities  of  the  domestic  group.  It  is  precisely  this  fact  which  gives 
to  the  family  its  unique  place  and  importance  in  relation  to  education 
and  social  progress.  Religion,  morality,  culture,  noble  politics — all 
interests  suffer  if  domestic  conduct  is  defective  or  immoral. 

II.  The  educational  function  of  the  family  is  permanent.  There  is  a 
quite  general  belief  in  some  quarters  that  the  educational  work  of  the 
family  is  about  to  be  surrendered  to  special  social  agencies  of  education, 
to  the  school.  Some  influential  writers,  generally  of  the  socialistic 
tendency,  have  drawn  up  an  argument  for  holding  this  belief.  Their 
chief  reason  is  that  ordinary  parents  are  incapable  of  instructing  and 
training  children  and  youth;  that  only  the  state  can  furnish  nurses  and 
teachers  who  have  the  scientific  and  professional  equipment  for  the 
worthy  task  of  preparing  youth  for  citizenship. 

There  is  a  plausible  cover  for  this  view,  just  enough  neglected  truth 
in  it  to  delude  the  unwary  and  to  awaken  the  prudent.  Much  of  the 
current  discussion  among  church  leaders  overlooks  the  body  of  facts 
which  socialist  agitators  have  in  mind,  and  which  are  manifest  in  the 
crowded  habitations  of  our  huge  cities.  There  it  is  unquestionably 
true  that  very  many  girls  marry  too  young,  without  necessary  physical 
maturity  and  without  preparation  for  motherhood,  and  with  only  such 
education  as  they  can  acquire  in  a  primary  school  and  years  of  special- 
ized labor  in  a  department  store  or  in  a  factory.  It  would  be  well  for 
our  country  and  for  the  cause  of  religion  if  those  who  write  about  moral 
and  spiritual  education  would  take  adequate  pains  to  bring  these  deplor- 
able conditions  within  their  mental  horizon.  We  have  able  and  con- 
vincing essays  on  home  religion,  which  are  quite  suitable  for  people  who 
have  homes;  but  the  average  flat-building,  occupied  by  low-paid,  un- 
skilled laborers  with  irregular  employment,  presents  radically  different 
problems,  and  the  conditions  call  for  different  methods.  Persons  long 
resident  in  social  settlements,  and  patient  missionaries  among  immi- 
grants, reveal  another  region,  which  the  ordinary  pastor  or  Sunday 
school  teacher,  psychologist,  and  seminary  professor,  living  in  snug  com- 
fort, must  regard  as  alien  to  all  he  knows.  It  is  this  alien  world  which 
the  socialist  has  chiefly  in  his  memory  when  he  claims  that  parents 
cannot  be  trusted  to  educate  the  children  of  the  land,  and  that  expert 
nurses  and  teachers  ought  to  be  employed.     The  socialist  also  thinks. 


326  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

and  sometimes  speaks  very  bitterly,  of  those  luxurious  homes  of  people 
who  in  the  whirl  of  business  and  social  frivolities  accept  the  burdens  of 
parenthood  with  regret  and  pass  on  the  tasks  of  education  of  their  off- 
spring to  incompetent  hirelings  as  quickly  as  possible.  Thus  at  both 
extremes  of  society  the  argument  for  abandoning  the  educational  func- 
tion of  the  family  may  seem  plausible  on  superficial  examination. 

But  many  of  us  think  that  the  better  way  would  be  to  correct  defects; 
that  those  who  are  able  to  educate  their  young  children  should  be  con- 
strained by  public  opinion  and  law  to  do  so;  that  the  ignorant  and 
untrained  should  be  encouraged  and  helped  to  perform  their  social 
task;  and  that  nurture  is  as  truly  a  social  function  of  the  family  as 
propagation. 

There  is  an  educational  function  for  the  family  which  cannot  be 
transferred  to  the  public  school,  the  kindergarten,  or  the  church  school. 
Much  of  the  early  and  most  important  factors  of  education  are  insepara- 
bly connected  with  that  care  of  the  infant  body  which  only  mothers  can 
give.  The  more  formal,  systematic,  and  specialized  instruction,  of  com- 
munication of  knowledge,  belongs  to  the  school;  but  instruction  is  only 
one  element  in  the  process  of  forming  the  character.  The  foundations 
are  laid  before  the  child  can  safely  be  sent  away  from  the  parents,  and 
the  co-operation  of  parental  influence  is  necessary  in  every  succeeding 
stage  of  development  up  to  maturity.  Just  what  this  peculiar  and 
essential  contribution  of  the  family  is  deserves  profound  study.  We 
can  bring  out  the  essential  aspects  by  briefly  considering  (i)  the  aim  of 
education  and  (2)  the  particular  contribution  of  the  domestic  life  to 
spiritual  nurture. 

III.  The  aim  of  religious  and  moral  education  is  just  the  goal  and 
purpose  of  life,  the  crown  of  all  culture.  Jesus'  saying  is  none  too  often 
quoted:  "  I  came  that  they  may  have  life,  and  may  have  it  abundantly." 
This  aim  is  not  to  be  attained  in  fragments  and  sections  of  unrelated 
acts.  The  entire  body,  mind,  and  spirit  is  to  be  sanctified.  Isolation 
of  interests  is  impossible. 

There  are  three  aspects  of  this  aim  of  education,  and  they  must  be 
seen  stereoscopically,  on  all  sides  at  once,  as  if  character  had  three 
dimensions;  and  these  aspects  are,  (i)  personality,  (2)  devotion  to  our 
kind,  and  (3)  consecration  to  God.     Each  involves  the  other. 

We  speak  of  the  perfection  of  personality  as  our  aim ;  but  we  do  not 
mean  a  fixed  limit,  a  fine  quality  of  dwarfed  proportions,  and  therefore 
our  sage  Emerson  preferred  the  word  "  greatness  "  as  the  ideal  of 
personal  culture.  Personality  is  not  the  equivalent  of  egotism.  The 
person  must  be  a  "  socius,"  a  companion,  a  member  of  the  race,  of  kin 


THE  PART  OF  THE  HOME  IN  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION    327 

to  his  kind,  a  neighbor  to  all.  For  selfishness  is  the  essence  of  sin,  and  it 
cuts  oflf  all  roots  which  might  nourish  the  soul,  and  leaves  it  to  wither. 
Personality  is  still  incomplete  in  the  human  community,  and  demands 
converse  with  God.  This  divine  and  heavenly  summit  reached,  the 
Mont  Blanc  of  the  range  of  spiritual  mountain  heights,  all  lower  ranges 
of  being  and  interests  are  seen  radiant  with  the  shining  of  God.  "Virtue 
is  the  gift  of  God." 

IV.  The  family  offers  an  indispensable  contribution  to  the  elementary 
spiritual  nurture,  to  right  life. 

I.  Deeper  and  earher  than  clear,  rational  reasoning,  there  are  expe- 
riences which  well  up  from  the  soul  of  the  infant  in  response  to  the  stimuli 
of  parental  touch  and  care.  Has  ever  any  one  described  the  very  foun- 
tain and  origin  of  religious  consciousness  better  than  the  good,  gentle, 
prophetic,  awkward  Pestalozzi? 

"The  best  way  for  a  child  to  learn  to  fear  God  is  to  see  and  hear  a 
real  Christian.  .  .  .  The  home  is  the  true  basis  of  the  education  of 
humanity.  It  is  the  home  that  gives  the  best  moral  training,  whether 
for  private  or  public  life.  .  .  .Once  again  I  look  into  my  ovm 
heart  for  an  answer  to  my  question,  and  ask  myself,  How  does  the 
idea  of  God  take  root  in  my  soul?  Whence  comes  it  that  I  believe  in 
God,  that  I  abandon  myself  to  Him,  and  feel  happy  when  I  love  Him 
and  trust  Him,  thank  Him,  and  obey  Him  ? 

"  Then  I  soon  see  that  the  sentiments  of  love,  trust,  gratitude,  and 
obedience  must  first  exist  in  my  heart  before  I  can  feel  them  for  God. 
I  must  love  men,  trust  them,  thank  them  and  obey  them,  before  I  can 
rise  to  loving,  thanking,  trusting,  and  obeying  God.  '  For  he  who  loveth 
not  his  brother  whom  he  hath  seen,  how  shall  he  love  his  Father  in 
heaven  whom  he  hath  not  seen  ?  '  I  next  ask  myself,  How  is  it  that  I 
come  to  love  men,  to  trust  them,  to  thank  them  and  obey  them?  How 
do  these  sentiments  take  root  in  my  heart?  And  I  find  that  it  is  princi- 
pally through  the  relations  which  exist  between  a  mother  and  her  infant 
child. 

"  The  mother  must  care  for  her  child,  feed  it,  protect  it,  amuse  it.  She 
cannot  do  otherwise;  her  strongest  instincts  impel  her  to  this  course. 
And  so  she  provides  for  its  needs,  and  in  every  possible  way  makes  up 
for  its  powerlessness.  Thus  the  child  is  cared  for  and  made  happy,  and 
the  first  seed  of  love  is  soviTi  within  him." 

Then  he  describes  with  some  details  the  rise  of  trust,  gratitude,  and 
obedience,  the  feeling  and  the  ideas  which  correspond  to  them,  and  all  in 
response  to  the  stimulus  which  arises  in  the  relation  of  child  to  mother. 
"  These  elements  are  also  the  elements  of  religious  development,  and  it 


328  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

is  by  faith  in  its  mother  that  the  child  rises  to  faith  in  God.  "  The 
child,  no  sooner  hears  God's  name  from  his  mother's  lips  than  he  glows 
with  gladness.  "  This  first  attempt  of  a  loving,  simple-minded  mother 
to  subordinate  the  child's  growing  feeling  of  independence  to  faith  in 
God,  by  connecting  faith  with  certain  moral  tendencies  that  are  already 
more  or  less  developed,  furnishes  education  with  the  fundamental  prin- 
ciples from  which  it  must  start,  if  it  is  to  succeed  in  ennobling  men." 

2.  Habits  are  the  means  by  which  actions,  movements,  are  trans- 
formed into  second  nature,  the  basis  of  character;  and  habits  are  started 
at  birth,  continue  through  childhood  and  youth  into  manhood.  Punctu- 
ality, truthfulness,  order,  neatness,  cleanliness,  kindness,  usefulness, 
reverence,  and  all  else  that  is  desirable  in  character,  are  fashioned  by 
securing  the  almost  unthinking  repetition  of  right  actions  and  of  sym- 
bolic gestures  and  postures. 

3.  The  ideas  of  morality  and  religion  are  the  late  and  ripe  fruit  of 
feeling  and  habitual  conduct.  There  is,  of  course,  an  intellectual 
element  in  the  first  conscious  movements,  sensations,  and  emotions,  but 
only  with  youth  can  there  come  an  orderly  and  extended  system  of 
thoughts.  Truth  can  be  gradually  formulated  on  the  basis  of  previous 
experiences.  When  doctrine  is  made  clear,  articulate,  distinct,  rational, 
it  reacts  upon  the  life  of  feeling  and  volition  and  habit.  If  the  doctrine, 
happily,  is  a  worthy  conception  of  God,  it  helps  the  moral  life,  clarifies, 
enlarges,  exalts,  refines  the  disposition.  It  is  not  enough  to  set  an 
example  of  goodness  before  a  child,  nor  even  to  cause  him  to  do  good 
actions  himself;  he  must  have  a  name  for  his  vague  experiences,  must 
voice  his  aspiration,  must  give  a  rational  and  even  aesthetic  form  to  his 
devoutness.  It  is  not  a  creed  or  a  catechism  which  hurts  the  child's 
soul,  but  the  monstrous  and  immoral  dogma  and  the  inquisitional  tor- 
ture which  stir  revolt',  and  the  unreality  of  verbal  formulas  which  signify 
nothing,  and  cause  insincerity  at  once  and  skepticism  in  after  years. 

V.  There  is  time  for  only  one  application  of  these  considerations,  and 
that  shall  be  to  family  worship.  Domestic  religion  must  find  some  kind 
of  suitable  liturgical  expression.  Family  worship,  to  be  useful,  or  even 
tolerable,  must  grow  naturally  out  of  the  ordinary  course  of  life,  be  fitted 
into  it,  and  reveal  its  real  spirit.  It  must  be  for  children,  where  there 
are  children;  and  they  must,  during  the  years  of  education,  be  active  in 
it,  not  merely  passive  victims  of  it.  It  must  not  frighten  them  away 
from  God's  altar,  where  even  birds  make  their  nests  in  security.  It 
must  be  expansive  and  not  repressive. 

How  simple  and  natural  was  the  act  in  which  Jesus  instituted  the 
Eucharist.     "  And  as  they  were  eating,  he  took  bread,  and  when  he  had 


THE  PART  OF  THE  HOME  IN  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION    329 

blessed,  he  brake  it,  and  gave  to  them,  and  said,  Take  ye:  this  is  my 
body.  And  he  took  a  cup,  and  when  he  had  given  thanks,  he  gave  to 
them:  and  they  all  drank  of  it.  And  he  said  unto  them.  This  is  my 
blood  of  the  covenant,  which  is  shed  for  many.  And  when  they  had 
simg  a  hymn,  they  went  out."  No  child  would  desire  to  run  away  from 
that  dramatized  prayer.  The  story  is  ineffably  sweet.  The  Master 
who  taught  little  children  to  regard  themselves  as  his  own  by  taking 
them  into  his  gentle  and  affectionate  embrace,  is  always  ready  to  use 
physical  symbols  to  help  those  who  live  in  the  flesh  to  press  their  way  by 
tangible  and  visible  means  into  the  mean'ng  of  the  divine  word.  Why 
should  the  members  of  a  family  retire  from  the  table  to  proceed  in  stately 
order  to  a  service  which  is  cut  off  from  the  happiness,  comfort,  laughter, 
and  joy  of  the  natural  melting  of  all  ?  AVhy  should  they  turn  their  backs 
on  each  other  when  the  Giver  of  all  good  is  addressed  ?  Why  should 
not  the  children  themselves  seek  out  and  bring  to  that  place  the  finest 
expressions  of  adoration  and  gratitude  which  literature  can  furnish? 
Many  a  wise  mother  has  learned  by  holy  instinct  that  it  is  a  sacred 
privilege  to  connect  the  brief  phrase  of  hope  and  trust  with  the  evening 
caress  and  the  delicious  revery  of  a  child  falling  asleep.  Too  often  the 
formal  family  worship  is  torture,  and  its  words  but  vain  repetitions,  the 
tone  neither  of  earth  nor  heaven.  The  voice  is  that  of  an  actor,  and 
reality  has  gone  out  of  it. 

If  the  children  are  studying  German  at  school,  they  might  well  repeat 
the  touching  sentence  which  reminds  one  of  Fra  Angelico's  Pilgrim 

Christ : 

Komm,  Herr  Jesu,  sei  unser  Gast, 
Und  segne  was  Du  uns  bescheret  hast. 

(Come,  Lord  Jesus,  be  our  guest, 
And  bless  what  Thou  hast  given  us.) 

The  home  ever  remains  the  primary  temple,  and  the  light  of  worship 
on  that  altar  must  not  go  out,  lest  the  world  grow  dark.  Worship  should 
be  a  natural,  sincere,  and  joyous  part  of  a  great  life  of  love,  order,  beauty, 
wisdom,  and  happiness;  the  children  should  be  active  agents  in  its 
observance;  and  its  ritual  should  be  symbols  taken  from  the  ordinary 
acts  of  familiar  life,  as  Jesus  made  of  the  common  meal,  the  lasting 
memorial  of  himself  and  the  central  mystery  of  the  Christian  Church. 

"  In  liberty  of  holy  glee, 

Accept  thy  childhood's  part, 
And  thou  shalt  find,  by  faith  enshrined, 
The  Father  in  thy  heart. " 


HOW  CAN  WE  DEVELOP  A  GROWING  CONSCIOUSNESS  OF 
GOD  IN  CHILDREN  AND  YOUTH? 

MISS  ALICE  E.  FITTS 

PRATT  INSTITUTE,  BROOKLYN,  NEW  YORK 

"  Enlarge  our  capacities  to  understand  and  our  hearts  to  receive  the 
fulness  of  His  life." 

Consciousness  of  God  must  come  to  each  one  of  us  in  some  form  of 
experience;  we  know  only  what  we  have  experienced  of  the  spiritual 
life.  To  satisfy  the  desire  of  the  soul,  to  know  God,  and  to  lead  the 
individual  through  every  experience  to  God,  may  be  the  inspiring  task 
of  those  who  have  children  to  nurture.  Learning  about  God,  going  to 
Sunday  school  or  church,  is  not  enough.  What  we  must  have  is  a 
preparation  for  this,  and  the  preparation  must  come  to  us  as  children. 
As  the  blossom  depends  upon  the  growth  of  the  plant,  and  this  upon 
the  germination  of  the  seed,  so  later  spiritual  life  in  man  depends  upon 
the  awakening  and  development  of  the  spiritual  germs  in  the  soul. 
What  is  to  develop  must  begin,  and  we  must  not  look  to  a  later  stage 
to  accomplish  the  work  of  an  earlier  one. 

Some  one  has  asked,  "  When  shall  I  begin  to  teach  my  little  child 
to  pray?"  I  cannot  answer  this  question;  the  answer  will  come  in  its 
own  good  time.  It  depends  upon  the  mother.  Prayer  is  not  some- 
thing separate  from  living;  when  the  baby  was  put  to  sleep,  he  was 
laid  down  with  a  prayer  to  God;  when  he  was  taken  up,  awake,  per- 
haps the  mother  spoke  to  God  again.  I  do  not  know  how  often  she 
prays;  the  time  comes  when  the  child  notices  that  she  prays  and  he 
imitates  her.  Then  words  may  be  given  him  to  say.  After  a  time  he 
adds  his  own  petition,  or  gives  thanks  and  learns  to  talk  to  his  Father 
in  heaven.  By  and  by  he  asks  her  why  she  prays,  and  she  answers, 
"  To  thank  our  heavenly  Father  for  what  He  has  given  us;  to  ask  Him 
to  take  care  of  us  and  help  us  to  do  right."  None  of  this  he  under- 
stands as  we  do,  or  as  he  will  later,  but  this  exchange  of  feeling  within 
his  little  breast,  the  talking  to  God  and  expectation  of  an  answer,  form 
the  basis  for  all  after-relationship  between  himself  and  God.  And  yet, 
after  all,  the  real  value  of  this  depends  upon  the  spiritual  life  of  the 
mother  and  her  insight. 

During  this  time,  when  the  child  is  learning  what  prayer  means, 
he  is  gaining  other  ideas,  —  of  mysterious  things,  like  the  wind,  that 
he  can  feel  but  cannot  see;   of  the  light,  which  he  can  see  but  cannot 

33° 


CONSCIOUSNESS  OF  GOD  IN  CHILDREN  AND  YOUTH    331 

touch;  of  the  voice,  which  he  can  hear  but  cannot  see  or  touch;  and 
a  sense  of  the  hidden  life  in  things  comes  to  him.  He  talks  to  the 
flowers,  the  wind,  the  moon;  to  all  things  he  feels  akin,  and  it  is  but  a 
step  farther  to  this  mysterious  personality,  God.  Experience  of  the 
invisible  the  mother  gives  quite  early  to  her  child;  for  instance,  when 
he  begins  to  notice  objects  moved  by  the  wind.  He  imitates  these 
moving  things,  and,  watching  them,  asks  what  makes  the  things  go. 
"  The  wind,"  answers  his  mother;  "  listen,  hear  it  talking  to  the  trees, 
the  clothes  on  the  line,  and  to  the  weather-vane.  It  says, '  Turn,'  to  the 
little  weathercock,  and  around  goes  the  cock.  Baby,  show  how  the 
weather-cock  turns,"  and  quickly  he  turns  his  little  hand.  From  this 
beginning  he  learns  to  notice  all  the  things  the  invisible  wind  does, 
and  many  questions  follow  from  the  child,  which  cannot  all  be  answered, 
but  which  lead  back  to  the  one  Power  behind  that  moves  many  things. 

In  the  bird's  nest,  children  see  mirrored  the  human  relationship  of 
the  family,  and  here  may  be  stirred  the  feelings  of  nurture,  care,  love, 
protection,  as  they  watch  and  hear  about  the  mother  and  father  birds 
and  all  their  efforts  to  protect  and  bring  up  their  little  ones. 

All  the  sympathy  with  right  action  comes  in  the  early  years  of  the 
child's  hfe.  Play  and  story,  picture  and  song,  all  are  helps  to  the 
mother,  but  within  her  heart  lies  the  God-wisdom  implanted  there  as 
an  instinct,  that  helps  her  to  be  the  artist  in  her  work  of  lovingly,  play- 
fully awakening  and  developing  the  germs  of  spiritual  life  in  her  child. 
For  spiritual  life  is  not  separate  from  other  life.  It  is  every-day  life 
with  a  different  content  and  aim.  To  keep  this  consciousness,  to 
deepen  and  enrich  it,  and  prepare  for  further  development  and  welcome, 
the  presence  of  a  Power  "  that  for  existence  strives,"  —  this  is  our  life- 
work  here. 

One  turns  instinctively  to  the  home  to  find  right  conditions  for  the 
nurture  of  the  spiritual  life;  and  yet  these  conditions  are  not  always 
there.  Even  where  ideals  and  aims  are  right,  there  is  sometimes  a 
lack  of  insight  in  showing  the  way,  and  direct  teaching  of  abstract 
truths  is  depended  upon  to  bring  about  spiritual  development,  or  else 
the  responsibility  is  thrown  off  a'together  or  placed  upon  church  or 
Simday  school.  Quoting  from  Froebel,  "  Parents  should  not  be  timid, 
shouM  not  object  that  they  know  nothing  themselves,  and  do  not  know 
how  to  teach  their  children.  Their  ignorance  is  not  the  greatest  evil. 
If  they  desire  to  know  something,  let  them  imitate  the  child's  example, 
let  them  become  children  with  the  child,  learners  with  the  learner.  Let 
them  go  to  and  be  taught  by  Mother  Nature  and  by  the  fatherly  Spirit 
of  God.     The  Spirit  of  God  and  nature  will  guide  them." 


332  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

The  mother  indeed  is  the  nurturer,  the  home-maker,  and  the  atmos- 
phere of  the  home.  But  it  is  not  upon  her  alone  that  we  must  depend. 
The  father  has  his  part  to  do.  The  united  work  of  the  two  is  the  im- 
portant thing.  That  they  unite  to  live,  to  deal  with  the  problems  of 
life,  to  nurture  and  train  their  children,  is  the  great  and  important  thing. 
No  family  is  free  until  all  its  members  are  free.  No  individual  is  really 
happy  unless  the  others  are  happy.  We  are  constrained  by  the  family, 
and  there  is  a  constant  opportunity  to  exercise  the  virtues  that  may 
arise  through  individual  coming  in  contact  with  individual.  Just  as 
the  man  depends  upon  the  child,  so  state  and  church  depend  upon  the 
family.  Lift  its  roof,  broaden  its  expanse,  and  the  home  becomes 
the  church.  The  home  relationships  interpret  our  Father  in  heaven 
and  the  individual's  nurturing  power  points  the  way  for  His  work  upon 
earth.  Within  the  family  lives  the  individual.  He  may  be  regarded 
as  an  individual,  with  individual  rights;  and  he  may  be  regarded  as  a 
member  of  the  whole,  with  duties  bom  of  the  relationship. 

Two  aspects  of  this  life  come  before  us, —  the  nurture  of  his  feelings 
and  right  direction  for  his  activities.  The  Christian  mother  instinc- 
tively helps  her  child  to  loving  action.  She  does  this  unconsciously, 
for  love  fills  her  heart.  Just  in  proportion  as  the  love  of  God  fills  her 
heart,  does  she  have  the  wisdom  to  lead  her  child  aright.  Happiness 
is  one  of  the  necessary  conditions  of  the  child's  life,  and  this  comes 
not  alone  through  others  but  through  himself  and  his  right  deeds. 
This  he  soon  discovers  and  here  we  may  find  the  basis  for  the  individ- 
ual relationship  to  mother,  father,  brother  and  sister,  and  God.  The 
struggle  with  the  self  and  its  final  victory  can  only  be  attained  through 
a  conscious  determination  to  do  right,  and  a  constant  close  relation- 
ship to  parents  and  then  God,  to  help  strengthen  the  will  and  resolve. 
It  is  the  old,  old  struggle  of  man  with  himself.  At  first  the  difficulty 
is  referred  to  outside  things,  and  the  real  help  given  by  mother  or  fa- 
ther is  the  reference  to  self.  Better  that  the  discovery  that  the  root 
of  the  trouble  lies  within  himself  should  come  early.  Mother's 
help  is  needed  first,  then  brothers'  or  sisters',  and  finally  God's.  The 
struggle  to  reconcile  what  the  inner  man  says  is  right  with  his  deeds 
must  finally  end  in  a  realization  of  his  responsibility  for  his  own  actions. 
To  find  the  reason  for  his  own  action  within  himself,  is  another  start- 
ing-point for  his  relationship  to  God.  Here  is  not  only  a  test  for  the 
child,  but  a  test  for  parents  as  well.  Who  is  willing  to  stand,  and  stand 
firmly,  lovingly,  for  the  law?  The  law,  not  arbitrary  and  for  the 
individual,  but  for  the  right?  The  law  which,  when  once  obeyed  by 
the  child,  will  show  him  the  way  to  govern  himself.     No  kindness  so 


CONSCIOUSNESS  OF  GOD  IN  CHILDREN  AND  YOUTH    333 

great,  no  love  so  real  as  that  which  intelligently  leads  the  child  to  obe- 
dience of  law.  From  this  is  born  trust  and  faith,  and  ability  to  enter 
into  the  Uves  and  difficulties  of  his  fellow -men.  It  is  the  open  door 
for  all  wider  and  higher  life.  To  will  the  will  of  God, — this  is  real 
union  with  God,  and  while,  step  by  step,  we  depend  upon  love,  the 
individual  must  make  his  choice,  or  he  will  not  be  free. 

The  development  of  the  individual  child's  feeling  for  God,  know- 
ing about  God  and  consciousness  of  God,  begin  with  the  mother, — 
the  will  of  the  individual  conflicting  with  that  of  the  mother.  To 
awaken  and  develop  the  will  to  do  right,  this  is  her  aim.  To  help  the 
child  to  choose  the  right  and  will  it,  this  is  gain  indeed.  For  mother 
first,  for  right,  second;  infinite  love  and  patience  are  needed  to 
develop  this.  Obedience  lays  the  foundations  for  faith  and  many 
other  virtues,  but  pre-eminently  faith.  We  cannot  always  know,  but 
we  can  obey  and  believe;  the  act  of   faith  makes  possible  all  things. 

The  religious  experiences  of  children  differ  as  widely  as  those  of 
grown  people.  When  the  first  conscious  experience  comes  of  right 
conquering  the  wrong  condition  within,  we  do  not  know.  What  the 
motives  are  for  action  we  cannot  always  tell;  but  recognition,  on  the  part 
of  parent  or  teacher,  of  right  intentions  goes  a  long  way  toward  help- 
ing right  to  reign.  Happiness  should  follow  every  step  that  is  con- 
quered. The  voice  within  the  heart  of  the  child  should  speak  in  com- 
mendation as  well  as  condemnation.  Conscience  has  not  a  negative 
voice  alone  but  a  positive  one  as  well.  And  the  individual  should  be 
welcomed  back  in  to  the  life  of  the  family,  from  which  he  may  have  been 
temporarily  separated.     From  every  deed  in  life  there  is  a  way  to  God. 

In  the  family  circle  may  come  times  set  apart  by  the  parents  to  be 
with  their  children.  At  meals,  of  course,  some  one  says;  but  this  is 
one  of  our  modem  problems,  with  father  away  all  day  and  dinner  late 
at  night.  The  mother  may  gather  her  children  together  for  talks  and 
stories  or  singing  before  supper.  In  the  dusk,  many  confidences  are 
exchanged  and  many  little  hearts  are  opened.  The  stories  mother 
tells  sink  deep  into  the  memory.  The  poems  she  recites  or  sings  are 
always  with  us.  What  a  golden  opportunity  for  the  father  if  he  can 
reach  home  early  enough  to  unite  in  this!  He  may  live  over  again  his 
boyhood,  and  thus  better  understand  his  own  son.  He  has  a  chance 
to  review  some  of  the  stories  he  loved,  and  tell  of  his  own  deeds  of 
prowess.  When  will  he  ever  have  a  more  sympathetic  audience  than  this 
one,  or  one  that  will  believe  him  to  be  more  of  a  hero  ?  In  living  with 
our  children  we  are  enabled  to  go  over  again  our  incomplete  educa- 
tion, pick  up  the  lost  stitches,  and  make  of  it  a  continuous  whole.    Then 


334  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

at  bedtime,  before  the  children  sleep,  the  mother  may  say  their  prayers 
with  them  and  hear  the  confessions  and  explanations  that  often  come 
at  this  time.  A  comforting  or  discriminating  word  dropped  into  the 
mind  just  here  sinks  deep  and  does  its  work  of  miiting  mother  and 
child  in  their  efforts  to  do  right.  Music  is  a  power  for  good.  What 
mother  and  father  sing  or  play  carries  great  influence. 

Another  way  for  love  to  express  itself  is  in  giving  opportunities 
for  service;  the  right  direction  for  the  increasing  bodily  activity  and 
strength.  Hard  things  to  do,  when  conquered,  lead  to  union  between 
parents  and  children.  The  parents  should  see  to  it  that  their  attitude 
toward  work  is  a  noble  one,  toward  the  worker,  a  respectful  one,  and 
the  child  will  desire  to  work  too.  This  is  the  first  step  toward  creative 
work.  The  feeling  that  father,  mother,  and  children  are  united  in  their 
lives  and  with  God  gives  them  the  basis  for  true  spiritual  living. 

I  hesitate  to  touch  on  the  one  subject  that  is  of  most  importance,  for 
fear  I  shall  be  misunderstood.  Christ  is  the  great  reconciling  force 
of  the  world.  As  we  exercise  this  reconciling  activity  ourselves,  we 
become  conscious  of  God.  The  child  must  be  led  to  discover  this  as 
a  law  in  nature,  in  stories,  in  literature,  in  the  Bible,  in  heroes,  and 
in  the  person  of  Jesus  Christ.  The  conflicting  elements  in  life  must 
be  reconciled  even  for  little  children. 

The  harmony  of  nature,  of  the  mother,  of  the  home,  all  help  the 
chi'd  to  find  harmony  within  himself,  but  his  relationship  to  Christ 
becomes  a  conscious  one  when  he  begins  to  understand  his  need  for 
living  the  life  of  reconciliation.  God  is  throughout  the  universe,  filling, 
pervading  it  with  life  and  love;  we  are  His  children;  part  of  His  infi- 
nite nature  is  giving  us  life.  Our  life,  our  happiness,  is  in  opening  our 
hearts  for  more  and  more  of  this  consciousness.  We  are  both  finite 
and  infinite,  in  the  sense  that  we  have  both  a  human  and  a  divine  inheri- 
tance. Out  of  the  human,  we  may  lift  the  divine.  Spiritual  life  is 
not  a  thing  apart;  it  is  possible  here,  if  we  have  but  a  heavenly  aim. 
What  keeps  us  so  far  away  from  God?  Is  it  worldly  ideals  mixed  in 
with  spiritual  aims,  that  we  cannot  find  our  way  from  every  point  in 
life  to  God  ?  Can  we  not  live  so  in  the  unity  of  life  that  our  children 
may  be  brought  in  as  well?  Can  we  not  keep  their  confidence  and 
respect  as  they  grow  older,  through  together  striving  to  live  the  highest 
life?  Steps  in  attainment  are  for  us  all.  We  are  all  endeavoring  to 
do  right,  parents,  teachers,  and  children,  and  sometimes  we  fail.  We 
can  all,  fathers,  mothers,  and  children,  know  and  love  God,  our  Father, 
with  a  growing  understanding  and  confidence,  and  this  love  must 
finally  pass  out  from  the  home  into  the  community  and  make  way 
for  a  still  deeper  experience  of  God's  spirit. 


THE   CONTINUITY   OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

MRS.  WILLIAM  D.  MacCLINTOCK 

CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS 

The  doctrine  of  periods  distinct  and  definable  in  a  child's  growth 
is,  of  course,  old,  and  has  been  always  practically  operative  in  educa- 
tion. Indeed,  nature  has  written  it  so  large  in  the  facts  of  his  physical 
growth  that  it  could  not  be  ignored.  But  the  modern  psychology  of 
childhood,  confirming  and  sanctioning  the  doctrine,  and  freeing  it 
largely  from  vagueness,  has  so  deepened  and  widened  its  influence 
in  the  educational  theory  and  practice  of  our  day,  that  we  feel,almost 
as  if  it  were  a  new  discovery.  The  full  recognition  in  the  child's  whole 
training  of  this  doctrine  and  its  far-reaching  implications  works  many 
most  beneficent  results.  One  of  these  implications  is  that  we  must 
seek  subjects  and  aspects  of  subjects  adapted  to  the  period  of  growth 
within  which  we  find  our  child;  further,  that  in  presenting  to  him 
subjects  and  aspects  of  subjects  for  which  he  has  no  apperception, 
we  are  either  wasting  our  time  since  they  fail  to  become  reality  to 
him  at  all,  or  if  by  ill  luck  he  does  grasp  them,  we  have  done  the  greater 
wrong  of  forcing  his  season  of  readiness,  and  have  contributed  toward 
producing  that  most  tragic  object — a  premature  child. 

On  no  side  of  a  child's  training  do  we  need  so  much  the  light  of 
this  principle  of  fitness  as  upon  the  side  of  religion.  By  a  combina- 
tion of  causes  not  difficult  to  trace,  it  has  come  about  that  Christianity, 
and  Protestant  Christianity  in  especial,  has  developed  a  system  of 
religious  teaching  that  confronts  the  child  with  a  material  and  a 
method  which  disregard  every  requirement  of  fitness.  This  system 
draws  its  whole  material  from  books,  not  from  the  actual  world,  from 
books  which  record  an  alien  ethnic  experience,  the  experience  of  a 
peculiarly  imchildlike  race  at  a  very  developed  stage  of  its  existence. 
This  system  has  frozen  at  its  source  every  impulse  toward  the  making 
of  new  spontaneous  myth.  It  has  used  the  old  myth  as  if  it  were  history. 
It  has  refused  the  aid  of  new  concrete  symbols,  and  has  interpreted 
into  abstractions  the  old  symbols.  It  has  imposed  upon  the  child  a 
ready-made  code  of  adult  morals,  and  has  expected  from  him  the 
response  of  adult  emotions  and  mature  conduct.  Therefore  the  new 
light  that  we  are  getting  from  psychology  and  pedagogy  which  helps 
the  religious  educator  to  find  material  fit  at  each  stage  of  his  child's 
growth,  and  enables  him  to  discriminate  with  some  certainty  the  hour 

335 


336  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

of  the  child's  ripeness,  has  set  us  immensely  forward  on  the  road  tow- 
ard a  sane  and  effective  rehgious  education.  But  the  very  fact  that 
there  is  so  much  of  truth  and  helpfulness  in  the  theory  of  the  periodic 
character  of  the  child's  development  tempts  us,  as  always  in  the  case 
of  a  satisfying  and  solving  theory,  to  overemphasize  and  overwork  it. 
Indeed,  the  psychologists  themselves,  in  their  apparent  pre-occupation 
with  the  explaining  power  of  the  doctrine  of  periods,  have  opened  the 
door  to  mistakes  on  the  part  of  those  applying  the  theory.  The  first 
mistake  to  which  the  practical  teacher  and  lay  parent  is  liable  is  that 
of  trusting  too  much  to  the  belief  that  one's  attitude  toward  the  child 
may  safely  be  one  of  complete  laissez-faire;  that  the  qualities  and  charac- 
teristics appropriate  to  the  child  at  each  stage  of  his  growth  appear  of 
themselves  and  take  care  of  themselves;  so  that  there  is  some  danger 
that  the  old  meddling,  nagging  form  of  bad  education  may  be  re- 
placed by  the  other  bad  form  of  indifferentism,  growing  out  of  our 
confidence  in  the  power  of  the  child's  new  period  to  redress  the  balance 
automatically. 

Another  danger  arising  out  of  the  same  doctrine  comes  with  the 
point  of  view  that  these  periods  in  a  child's  life  are  isolated,  detached; 
that  there  is  a  sort  of  gap  or  chasm  between  the  periods,  on  one  side 
of  which  a  child  is  a  different  sort  of  being  from  what  he  is  on  the 
other  side.  This  point  of  view,  if  not  encouraged  by  recent  popular 
studies  of  certain  periods  of  experience,  such  as  adolescence,  is  at 
least  not  sufficiently  guarded  against.  Now,  to  lose  sight  of  the  fact 
that  the  human  personality  is  one  thing,  evolving  slowly  and  contin- 
uously through  all  its  periods  and  experiences,  is  to  cut  the  nerve  of 
education.  It  is  gradually,  by  imperceptible  degrees,  that  the  nor- 
mal child  passes,  or  should  pass,  from  period  to  period  in  his  growth; 
and  it  is  the  part  of  wise  teachers  and  parents  to  see  to  it  that  his  evo- 
lution from  stage  to  stage  is  without  shock  or  jar.  It  is  no  more  impera- 
tive to  select  his  educational  material  to  fit  the  period  he  is  in,  than  to 
plan  that  it  may  lead  naturally  and  smoothly  to  the  material  he  will 
use  in  his  coming  period. 

On  the  side  of  his  religious  training  we  should  provide  with  sacred 
care  for  this  safe,  harmonious,  continuous  development.  The  fact 
that  we  have  not  hitherto  done  this  accounts  for  many  of  the  unfortu- 
nate conditions  in  the  religious  world.  Children  have  been  thrust 
prematurely  into  a  world  of  objects  and  ideas  which  took  on  no  value, 
no  aspect  of  reahty  for  them.  From  such  a  basis  the  soul's  progress 
is  almost  necessarily  backward.  Much  of  its  future  history  is 
necessarily  negative,  denying  what  it  never  should  have  been  taught, 


THE  CONTINUITY  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION  337 

correcting  points  of  view  that  could  just  as  easily  have  been  correct 
to  begin  with. 

Now,  in  attempting  to  provide  our  children  against  such  disloca- 
tions in  their  religious  experience,  it  is  a  safe  principle  to  agree  upon, 
that  they  shall  have  as  little  as  possible  to  unlearn  as  they  go  on.  This 
would  seem  to  suggest  these  things:  That  we  learn  and  take  to  heart 
the  pedagogical  principle  applied  elsewhere  in  education,  and  begin 
by  giving  our  children  the  large,  simple  primitive  things  of  rehgion, 
rather  than  the  specific  details  of  a  very  late  stage  of  rehgious 
culture.  Surely,  we  are  all  more  than  ready  to  acknowledge  that 
religion  is  not  a  matter  of  a  knowledge  of  facts,  not  a  matter  of  a 
specific  record  in  a  given  book,  not  a  matter  of  worship  or  ceremonial, 
but  a  spirit,  a  vision,  a  way  of  looking  at  hfe  and  the  world.  What 
is  it  other  than  an  attitude  of  reverence  and  acquiescence,  and  later 
the  consciousness  of  a  guiding  immanent  spirit  in  life  and  the  world  ? 
What,  then,  are  the  facts  of  Hfe,  what  are  the  phenomena  of  the  world 
by  which  we  can  lead  a  child  toward  these  things?  These  we  will 
choose  whether  we  find  them  in  the  Hebrew  Bible,  in  the  records  of 
other  races,  in  the  seasons,  the  weather,  the  mill,  the  grocery,  the  slice 
of  bread  and  butter,  the  ant-hill,  the  rose-tree.  Whichever  of  them  we 
use,  they  will  all  yield  the  lesson  of  reverence  and  acquiescence, — of 
a  sense  of  the  immanent  guiding,  interlinking  Spirit,  the  Father  of  life. 
These  are  the  simple  but  profound  things  of  religion  at  which  we  aim 
in  the  religious  training  of  the  young  child.  Into  this  framework  of 
the  largest  fundamental  things,  all  details,  and  all  the  soul's  later  ex- 
periences, will  fit.     There  is  nothing  here  to  unlearn. 

Doctrines  and  systems  are  not  for  the  child,  but  the  large  and  simple 
spirit  underlying  these  and  all  other  systems  is  what,  for  the  sake  of  his 
later  harmonious  development,  we  should  give  him. 

That  the  child  may  have  as  Httle  as  possible  to  unlearn  or  correct, 
it  is  necessary  that  he  be  dealt  with  quite  frankly  in  the  things  he  is 
taught.  Let  the  materia^  chosen  for  his  training  be  fitted  for  his  stage 
of  development,  so  that  he  may  safely  go  completely  to  the  bottom  of 
it.  It  is,  of  course,  not  wise  in  teaching  material  from  the  Bible,  for 
example,  to  try  to  put  the  child  in  possession  of  the  conclusions  of 
modern  scholarly  criticism.  But  the  teacher  who  knows  these  con- 
clusions is  under  obligation  to  teach  in  the  light  of  them. 

A  part  of  this  complete  frankness  and  honesty  in  teaching  the  child 
should  be  the  teacher's  endeavor  (be  he  preacher,  parent,  or  instructor) 
to  get  at  the  essence,  the  spirit,  of  the  thing  he  is  handling,  and  put  the 
emphasis  upon  that.     Who  will  calculate  the  amount  of  suffering  the 


338  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

world  has  known  on  account  of  dogma,  doctrines,  and  even  creeds 
erected  upon  a  mere  figure  of  speech  or  some  unessential  detail  of  a 
teaching?  A  little  girl  I  know  was  firmly  convinced  that  sparrows 
are  the  only  birds  God  counts,  and  that  robins  and  sea-gulls  drop  out 
quite  unnoticed;  and  one  would  not  be  at  all  surprised  to  find  some- 
where in  the  world  a  genuine  credo  built  upon  the  market  price  of 
those  same  elect  sparrows.  Your  own  experience  will  tell  you  that 
it  has  been  the  shaking  off  of  such  accidental,  and  after  all  unessential, 
attachments  to  your  faith  that  has  cost  you  most  sorrow  and  that  has 
been  at  the  bottom  of  most  of  your  religious  disturbances.  If  we 
crave  for  our  children  a  harmonious,  affirmatively  evolving  experience 
in  religion,  we  will  take  care  to  lighten  the  weight  of  emphasis  on  the 
acc'dental  and  superficial,  and  lay  it  on  the  deeper  essential  meaning 
of  th  ngs. 

A  plea  for  the  quiet,  unbroken  continuity  of  religious  teaching  and 
experience  should  by  no  means  lose  sight  of  the  possibility,  nay,  the  fact, 
of  times  of  acceleration  and  deepening.  Indeed,  one  must  provide 
for  and  expect  more  than  one  such  time  in  a  child's  life,  as  he  expects 
and  cultivates  such  hours  in  his  own  later  experience,  if  he  be  spirit- 
ually alive.  But  these  special  periods  are  most  effective  and  most 
fruitful  when  they  emerge  from  a  background  of  steady,  wise  training. 

There  is  another  and  equally  important  sense  in  which  we  may 
conserve  the  continuity  of  the  child's  religious  growth.  His  experience 
from  period  to  period  we  may  call  a  perpendicular  continuity.  There 
is  also  a  horizontal  continuity  for  which  we  are  to  care.  Noth'ng 
more  beneficent  has  come  into  modem  education  than  the  teaching 
that  a  child's  experience  is  all  one;  that  it  is  all  educational  and  should 
be  all  unified  and  harmonized.  We  have  learned  to  see  that  ideally 
his  life  in  the  home  is  as  educational  as  his  life  in  the  school,  his  life 
in  school  as  social  and  humanistic  as  his  life  in  the  home.  So  we  should 
be  prepared  to  see  that  religion  and  religious  teaching  is  not- a  thing 
apart,  relegated  to  Sunday,  the  church,  and  the  Sunday  school,  or 
even  to  specific  hours  in  the  home;  but  that  it  is  a  spirit,  an  atmos- 
phere, a  point  of  view,  an  explanation  of  things,  a  motive  for  conduct, 
— all  these  and  many  more  things — and  that  it  diffuses  itself  through 
all  life  and  all  objects.  Quietly  and  unobtrusively,  joyously  and  en- 
thusiastically, the  child  may  be  led  to  see  in  his  whole  hfe  and  any 
detail  of  his  life,  reasons  for  that  reverence  and  acquiescence  which  pre- 
pares him  to  see, 

"A  motion  and  a  spirit  that  impels 
All  thinking  things,  all  objects  of  all  thought, 
And  rolls  through  all  things." 


THE    GROWTH    OF    THE   LARGER    SENSE    OF    SOCIAL 

AND    CIVIC    RESPONSIBILITY    IN    YOUTH 

PROFESSOR  EDWIN  D.  STARBUCK,  Ph.D. 

EARLHAM  COLLEGE,  RICHMOND,  INDIANA 

The  one  point  that  I  have  to  set  forth  is  that  the  home  should  be  a 
commvinity.  The  community  spirit  should  pervade  it.  It  should 
reflect,  in  a  small  way,  to  be  sure,  but  in  a  very  real  way,  the  larger 
industrial,  civic,  and  social  life  into  which  the  young  man  and  woman 
are  later  to  be  thrown,  the  preparation  for  which  it  is  the  highest  func- 
tion of  the  home  to  furnish.  The  chances  are  that  the  full-grown  man 
is  going  to  be  just  such  a  person  as  his  own  childhood  and  youth  pro- 
phesy. The  notion  is  being  forced  in  upon  us  in  many  ways  now-a- 
days  that  the  foundations  of  character  and  personality  are  being  laid 
in  the  very  early  years  of  life.  And  to  the  extent  to  which  we  believe 
it,  the  idea  is  clear  and  insistent  that  the  home  life  is  the  crucial  point 
in  society.  If  this  department  of  the  Religious  Education  Associa- 
tion can  materially  aflFect  the  spirit  and  organization  of  the  homes  of 
the  country  for  the  better,  it  will  have  a  longer  leverage  upon  the  quality 
of  our  social  and  civic  life  than  can  be  measured  by  any  external  stan- 
dards. 

Even  when  the  family  consists  of  two,  the  husband  and  wife,  the 
community  spirit  should  prevail.  There  is  an  old,  old  custom,  bred  in 
the  days  of  strife  and  combat,  that  the  husband  should  wield  the  scep- 
ter in  the  household.  In  these  days,  when  the  humanizing  and  spirit- 
ualizing elements  of  our  nature  are  coming  to  count  for  as  much  as 
those  of  the  strenuous  life,  there  is  little  excuse  for  the  maintenance 
of  the  custom.  The  obedience  clause  in  the  marriage  ceremony  is 
happily  dropping  away,  and  husbands  are  becoming  domesticated 
and  civilized.  A  completely  mutual  life  is  desirable,  not  simply  for 
the  enjoyment  of  the  two,  but  on  account  of  the  children  who  are  later 
coming  into  the  home.  An  attempt  to  develop  a  community  spirit 
among  children,  when  it  does  not  exist  already  in  the  family,  which  is 
the  fountain-head  of  their  impulses  and  ideals,  would  be  a  bubble. 
What  the  parents  profess  may  count  for  something,  but  what  they 
feel  and  live  counts  for  indefinitely  more.  That  which  children  find 
in  the  very  atmosphere  of  the  home  is  what  they  imbibe.  The  per- 
vading spirit  of  the  home  is  getting  in  its  most  telling  work  during  the 
days  while  the  children  are  in  the  mother's  arms,  on  her  lap,  and  about 

339 


340  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

her  knees.  There  is  nothing  so  catching  as  the  contagion  of  moods 
and  impulses;  and  it  is  our  stock  of  instincts  and  impulses  and  moods 
that  determines  what  each  of  us  will  do  and  love  and  live  for,  and 
not  so  much  what  we  think  out  in  later  years. 

A  second  consideration  in  making  the  home  a  community  is  that 
of  numbers.  For  the  community  life  of  the  home  to  reflect  the  social 
whole  at  all  adequately,  and  develop  the  children  on  many  sides,  it 
should  consist  of  several  members.  The  fact  that  an  only  child  in  a 
family  is  likely  to  be  selfish  and  socially  deformed  is  proverbial;  and 
Dr.  Bohannon's  study  of  the  question  has  massed  the  evidences  that 
such  is  the  case.  This  need  not  be  true,  if  parents  were  prudent  in 
their  training,  and  unselfish  in  their  love  for  the  solitary  prodigy; 
but  who  can  be  prudent  under  such  circumstances  ?  The  best  protec- 
tion against  the  danger  where  the  providence  of  nature  sends  only  one 
or  two  children  into  the  family,  is  in  increasing  the  number  by  adop- 
tion. It  is  a  good  omen  that  so  many  home  finding  societies  are 
springing  up  and  doing  a  flourishing  business.  The  objection  to  adopt- 
ing children  is,  to  the  minds  of  many  persons,  the  number  of  instances 
in  which  it  has  failed  to  produce  happy  results.  The  reply  is  two- 
fold. In  the  first  place,  disappointments  rarely  occur  when  children 
are  adopted  in  the  earliest  days  of  babyhood.  Rather  than  wait  to 
find  how  the  child  is  going  to  turn  out,  before  receiving  it,  it  is  better 
to  begin  preforming  and  shaping  its  life,  by  surrounding  it  with  pure 
social  atmosphere  to  breathe,  and  the  best  spiritual  food  to  grow  by. 
Then,  again,  it  is  an  unkindness,  if  not  a  crime,  to  adopt  a  child  into 
a  household  from  a  mere  sense  of  duty.  Unless  the  love-life  can  pre- 
dominate in  the  act,  and  jealousy,  favoritism,  pride  in  descent,  and  all 
other  forms  of  selfishness  can  be  overcome,  the  orphan  child,  as  well 
as  the  small  home  circle,  are  better  off  without  the  union. 

We  can  hardly  afford  to  sacrifice  the  ruggedness,  the  fine  self-con- 
trol, and  the  social  responsiveness  that  develop  naturally  in  the  midst 
of  the  group,  even  at  the  risk  of  a  certain  amount  of  contamination 
from  children  supposedly  less  immaculate  than  our  own.  It  is  in  the 
social  group,  by  actually  facing  for  themselves  the  difficult  situations 
that  arise,  that  character  is  formed.  What  the  child  can  do,  the  re- 
sults that  he  can  achieve  among  his  fellows,  is  the  measure  of  his  will, 
and  the  tension  and  quality  of  his  will  is  the  measure  to  himself  of  his 
own  personality.  It  is  in  the  social  group,  and  there  only,  as  James 
Mark  Baldwin  has  so  well  pointed  out,  in  the  actual  demands  that 
others  are  making  upon  him,  that  the  child  forms  any  adequately  vivid 
and  comprehensive  social  feeling.     With  parents  that  are  authorita- 


SOCIAL  AND  CIVIC  RESPONSIBILITY  IN  YOUTH        341 

tive  and  yet  companionable,  with  a  group  of  other  children  about  him, 
differing  in  age,  tastes,  and  temperament,  and  with  these"  supplemented 
by  dolls  and  pets  that  want  protection  and  care,  there  is  scarcely  a 
latent  power  in  his  nature  that  is  not  daily  stimulated.  And  he  is 
being  taught  the  lessons  he  needs  to  learn  for  citizenship.  When  pas- 
sionate, he  leams  self-control;  when  selfish,  he  has  a  quick  and  sure 
harvest  of  unhappiness;  when  obstinate,  he  feels  himself  growing 
aloof  from  his  fellows.  With  all  the  knocks  he  is  getting,  and  also 
with  the  pleasures  from  intermingling,  society  becomes  a  reality  to 
him,  and  not  a  fine  fancy.  Its  absolute  demands  on  him,  and  his 
responsibility  to  it,  become  real  facts  that  he  can  no  more  gnore  and 
slight  than  he  can  the  fact  of  his  own  being. 

There  is  also  fine  training  for  citizenship  in  the  complexity  of  the 
situations  children  must  face  in  the  family  group.  There  is  hardly 
a  moment  of  their  waking  life  in  which  there  does  not  arise  diversity 
of  wishes  and  a  complication  of  rights  to  which  each  must  adjust  him- 
self. The  socially  unfit  are  those  who  fail  in  adjustment,  just  as  the 
socially  and  political  successful  are  those  who  can  respond  in  a  large 
way  to  a  large  number  of  persons.  With  an  only  child  in  the  family, 
the  complex  situations  hardly  arise,  and  with  two  children  they  are  too 
infrequent  and  too  easy  of  solution.  Real  training  for  life  consists  in 
tactful  adjustment  almost  instantaneously  to  that  indefinable  some- 
thing called  public  sentiment;  a  fact  so  compHca'ed  and  intricate  that 
its  elements  cannot  be  weighed  intellectually,  but  must  be  untangled 
by  a  sort  of  refined  sensitivity.  It  is  no  mere  play  on  words  to  point 
out,  as  John  Dewey  has  done,  the  connection  between  responsiveness 
and  moral  responsibility.  Unless  social  responsiveness  has  become 
fixed  through  long  habituation,  it  is  questionable  whether  the  most 
healthy  social  sense  can  ever  arise. 

In  the  matter  of  having  the  community  spirit  pervade  the  home,  a 
word  is  deserved  about  discipline.  We,  as  Americans,  are  proverbially 
lax  in  parental  authority  and  the  rigidness  of  our  home  discipline. 
The  distinction  is  our  clear  gain,  if  it  means  that  a  higher  kind  of 
authority  is  prevailing  in  our  homes  than  the  imperiousness  of  our 
Anglo-Saxon  fathers.  I  trust  it  fits  in  among  the  many  good  fruits  of 
our  democratic  tree.  Our  professors  are  not  so  august,  our  preachers 
not  so  terrible,  our  teachers  not  so  awe-inspiring,  nor  is  our  obedience 
so  groveling  as  in  other  times  and  countries.  And  still  our  authority 
and  obedience,  if  we  are  to  flourish,  must  be  no  less  real.  The  one 
indispensable  thing  in  the  relation  of  parents  and  children  is  companion- 
ship.    The  natural  fruits  of  autocracy,  whether   in  Russia  or  in  an 


342  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

American  home,  are  unhappiness,  friction,  waste,  disobedience,  and 
underhandedness.  There  will  come  a  time  in  each  child's -life  when 
arbitrary  authority  must  break  down,  if  the  boy  is  to  become  a  strong 
man.  The  occasion  for  a  break  should  never  arise.  The  youth's 
independence  is  not  something  to  give  him  out  of  hand  when  he  reaches 
the  age  of  twenty-one,  but  a  natural  right,  in  the  exercise  of  which  he 
should  be  schooled  from  earliest  babyhood.  The  highest  gift  of  a 
parent  is  not  freedom  or  wealth,  but  self-respect,  love,  good  will,  and 
fellowship. 

Companionship,  responsiveness,  and  a  strong  spirit  of  love  and  de- 
votion— these  are  the  ends  to  be  attained.  The  means  toward  them 
consist  chiefly  in  doing  things  together  in  the  household.  It  is  the 
rule,  not  only  outside  the  home,  but  within  it,  that  the  strongest  attach- 
ments spring  up,  and  happiness  abounds,  when  people  are  losing  them- 
selves in  a  common  task.  When  people  have  honestly  worked  together, 
succeeded  and  failed  together,  laughed  and  sighed  together,  nothing 
can  separate  them.  What  I  have  to  say  about  the  common  occupations 
of  the  home  must  be  confined,  for  the  most  part,  to  those  which  cen- 
ter around  the  property  rights  and  property  sense.  I  am  concerned 
with  this,  because  it  is  fundamental,  and  also  because  it  is  much  over- 
looked. While  I  do  not  believe  in  communism  as  a  social  doctrine 
for  all,  I  do  believe  in  a  modified  form  of  communism  in  the  family. 
The  entire  family,  children  and  all,  should  have  a  common  purse,  and 
should  consult  together,  as  far  as  possible,  on  all  interests,  plans,  pro- 
jects, and  investments.  I  have  seen  something  like  this  in  operation 
in  one  family,  and  certainly  to  the  happiness  and  profit  of  all 
concerned. 

I  imagine  you  asking.  How  can  a  child  enter  into  the  complexities 
of  modern  life,  and  the  intricacies  of  modern  enterprises?  The  high 
degree  of  organization  that  has  set  in  is  all  the  more  reason  for  under- 
taking such  a  plan,  if  only  it  is  the  children  and  the  home  life  we  are 
considering.  As  the  situation  now  stands,  it  has  grown  far  beyond 
their  comprehension.  There  was  a  time  when  the  raising  and  making, 
the  bartering,  buying  and  selling,  the  planning  and  using,  were  all 
going  on  in  open  view  to  the  children.  Now  the  father  hiurries  away 
in  the  morning,  and  practically  all  his  waking  life  is  a  closed  book  to 
wife  and  children.  The  integrity  of  the  home  is  weakened  by  so 
much, — the  home,  which  must  remain,  if  our  national  life  is  to  be 
healthy,  the  nursery,  not  only  of  the  bodies  of  children,  but  of  every- 
thing that  pertains  to  their  adult  life  as  well.  Hence,  I  am  inclined 
to  beheve  that  communism  in  the  home  is  not  only  important  for  the 


SOCIAL  AND  CIVIC  RESPONSIBILITY  IN  YOUTH        343 

happiness  of  the  family  circle  in  furnishing  a  tangible  incentive  to  their 
common  life,  and  for  leading  them  easily  and  naturally  into  the  things 
they  need  to  know  and  do,  but  also  for  the  sake  of  the  unity  and  in- 
tegrity of  society  itself. 

A  common  purse,  ledger,  and  property  might  be  a  good  thing  for 
the  independent  and  self-sufficient  father  too,  and  for  his  business. 
This  needs  no  higher  sanction  than  that  it  is  in  line  with  the  policy  of 
the  President  in  dealing  with  trusts.  If  a  half-dozen  pairs  of  innocent 
eyes  are  to  look  into  the  man's  accounts,  and  as  many  hearts  not  yet 
hardened  to  the  tricks  of  trade  are  to  adjudge  his  deals,  it  would  some- 
times influence  the  character  of  his  transactions.  It  would  often  affect 
the  nature  of  his  purchases.  He  would  hardly  enter  so  freely  items 
for  drinks,  knick-knacks,  clubs,  and  other  forms  of  selfishness. 

Along  with  the  common  purse  and  ledger  should  go,  of  course,  the 
separate  ones  of  each.  Children  should  be  paid  for  special  services; 
should  have  their  separate  tasks,  rooms,  and  occupations;  should  have 
their  own  patch  of  ground,  or  little  enterprises,  and  learn  to  produce 
and  see  the  fruit  of  their  own  skill  and  ingenuity.  It  is  a  mistake  to 
suppose  that  a  social  sense  can  grow  up  apart  from  a  fair  recognition 
of  personal  worth  and  personal  rights.  In  the  highest  ethics  there  is  a 
fine  equilibrium,  or  rather  a  perfect  blending  of  the  self,  on  the  one 
hand,  and  all  the  rest,  on  the  other.  The  self  is  the  measure  of  love 
in  the  golden  rule  and  in  the  second  commandment.  The  two  things 
must  develop  together. 

In  many  ways  the  lines  of  responsiveness  should  extend  beyond 
the  family  group.  A  family  that  exists  for  itself  alone  is  as  selfish  as 
a  person  with  the  same  ideals.  The  final  center  of  interest  is  in  the 
social  group,  and  not  in  the  family.  As  children  come  along  in  years, 
the  parents  may  encourage  the  cliques,  teams,  games,  societies,  and 
social  events  that  bring  the  children  into  larger  social  groups.  With 
books,  magazines,  newspapers,  discussions  in  the  family  of  the  move- 
ments of  the  times  in  politics,  industry,  religion,  and  art,  the  interests 
should  be  rapidly  forming  which  lead  children  to  feel  themselves  a 
part  of  a  larger  social  order;  so  that  when  the  days  come  for  them  to 
drift  away  from  the  home  circle  into  the  social  group,  they  may  be 
in  it  and  of  it  as  naturally  as  they  came  into  the  mother's  arms  who 
first  received  them. 


PLANS  FOR  THE  WORK  OF  THE  HOME  DEPARTMENT 

FOR  THE  COMING  YEAR 

MRS.  ANDREW  MacLEISH 

GLENCOE,  ILLINOIS 

The  plan  of  this  department  contemplates  work  which  will  stimu- 
late and  encourage  religious  home  life  and  training.  It  proposes,  first, 
to  reduce  to  a  simple  and  easily  intelligible  form  the  principles  that 
underlie  the  kindergarten.  Froebel's  insight  into  child-nature,  and 
his  philosophy  of  life  are  most  helpful  to  parents,  but  his  style  is  so 
obscure  that  he  cannot  be  apprehended  without  earnest  study.  The 
committee  of  the  Home  Department,  therefore,  purpose  enlistmg  the 
services  of  students  of  Froebel  in  the  cause  of  simplifying  and  widely 
extending  his  teachings. 

Their  second  line  of  work  will  be  in  the  direction  of  opening  to 
parents,  and  stimulating  them  to  use,  opportunities  for  studying  the 
Bible  from  what  may  be  called,  for  want  of  a  better  term,  the  mod- 
ern point  of  view.  The  Executive  Committee  of  the  Home  Depart- 
ment feel  it  to  be  very  important  that  the  work  of  religious  training 
and  instruction  should  not  be  taken  from  the  home  and  delegated  en- 
tirely to  other  organizations,  as  the  church  and  Sunday  school.  Par- 
ents are  the  rightful  religious  instructors  of  their  children,  but,  in 
view  of  the  great  changes  that  are  taking  place  just  now  in  the  outer 
forms  of  religious  faith,  and  in  the  understanding  of  the  Bible,  they 
need  to  familiarize  themselves  with  the  results  of  modern  scholarship, 
that  they  may  be  able  to  present  a  rational  conception  of  religious 
truth,  and  one  that  will  meet  the  needs  of  the  coming  generation. 

As  their  third  line  of  effort,  the  department  propose  to  undertake 
a  study  of  the  present  status  of  family  worship.  By  means  of  a  ques- 
tionnaire widely  distributed,  they  will  gather  together  all  the  facts  pos- 
sible, with  suggestions  as  to  method  and  character  of  the  service,  and 
ways  of  adapting  it  to  the  conditions  of  modem  life.  It  is  hoped 
that  a  helpful  and  suggestive  report  may  be  possible,  as  a  result  of 
this  investigation. 


344 


XI 11.    LIBRARIES 


ANNUAL    SURVEY    OF    THE    RELIGIOUS    AND    ETHICAL 
WORK  OF  LIBRARIES 

DREW  B.  HALL 

LIBRARIAN  MILLICENT  LIBRARY,  FAIRHAVEN,  MASSACHUSETTS 

The  public  library  is  an  educational  institution.  If  it  is  to  pro- 
vide religious  literature  and  to  succor  the  religious  worker,  three  con- 
ditions must  be  met:  i.  The  Hbrary  must  have  the  disposition,  and 
the  ability  on  the  part  of  its  staff,  to  look  after  the  religious  needs  of 
its  community;  for  this  work  it  will  find  groups  and  organizations 
already  formed  in  the  church  societies  and  Sunday  schools.  2.  These 
societies  must  be  ahve  and  ready  to  seek  and  to  receive  the  library's 
ad.  3.  The  library  must  contain,  and  keep  up  to  date,  a  collection  of 
religious  hterature,  suitable  for  the  use  of  both  laymen  and  clergy- 
men, and  of  all  divisions  and  sects  of  the  church. 

Last  year  the  annual  survey  took  the  form  of  an  inquiry  into  the 
first  and  second  conditions  and  it  revealed,  in  general,  a  greater  readi- 
ness on  the  part  of  the  libraries  to  give  aid,  than  on  the  part  of  church 
organizations  to  receive  it. 

This  year  the  survey  is  concerned  with  the  third  condition — that  of 
material  equipment.  To  discover  what  resources  public  libraries  have 
to  offer  the  student  of  the  Bible  and  of  general  religious  questions, 
and  more  definitely  than  has  heretofore  been  done,  what  use  is  made 
of  them,  the  following  questions  as  to  volumes  and  circulation  were 
addressed  to  a  considerable  number  of  large  town  and  city  public 
libraries: 

1 .  Do  church  societies  habitually  notify  you  of  their  topics  of  study, 
and  use  special  reserved  lists  on  them? 

2.  The  total  number  of  volumes  in  your  library? 

3.  Among  these,  how  many  are  classed  as  religious? 

4.  How  many  of  these  "religious  volumes"  are  less  than  twenty- 
five  years  old? 

5.  Total  volumes  of  all  classes  added  in  your  last  fiscal  year. 

6.  The  number  of  these  classed  as  religious. 

7.  The  total  circulation  last  year. 

8.  The  circulation  of  religious  books. 

9.  Additional  facts  and  figures  of  interest  in  this  connection? 

345 


346  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

All  almost  unqualified  negative,  in  answer  to  the  first  query,  sup- 
ports last  year's  report. 

From  the  next  two  questions,  as  to  total  volumes  and  those  classed 
as  religious,  the  percentage  of  religious  works  varies  from  2.23  per 
cent  in  a  town  of  12,000  inhabitants  within  twelve  miles  of  Boston, 
and  2.4  per  cent  in  a  city  of  23,000  in  central  New  York,  to  13  per 
cent  for  a  district  library  in  Maryland.  The  average,  however,  is  4.2 
per  cent,  to  which  nine-tenths  of  the  libraries  closely  approximate. 
Further,  the  average  of  careful  estimates  (not  entirely  reliable  as  statis- 
tics, but  the  best  figures  obtainable)  of  the  volumes  less  than  twenty- 
five  years  old  is  only  2.5  per  cent. 

Comparisons  with  three  careful  and  inclusive  bibliographical  state- 
ments, the  A.  L.  A.  catalogue,  Sonnenschein's  best  books  and  its  sup- 
plement, and  the  Publishers'  Weekly  tables,  of  the  annual  book-pro- 
duction of  the  United  States  and  England,  are  interesting. 

The  percentage  of  rehgious  entries  in  the  A.  L.  A.  catalogue,  of  1893 
is  4,  and  in  last  year's  edition,  4.2  per  cent.  This  coincidence,  with 
the  actual  percentage  in  working  libraries,  seems  to  indicate  either 
that  the  editors  of  the  catalogues  kept  remarkably  close  to  present  con- 
ditions, or  that  4  per  cent  is  the  natural,  predestined  proportion  of 
religious  to  non-religious  works.  On  the  other  hand,  Mr.  Sonnen- 
schein  considers  that  of  publications  worthy  of  note  and  entry  in  his 
bibliographies,  theology,  including  all  religious  topics,  comprises  about 
12  per  cent;  three  times  the  number  in  our  collections. 

The  third  means  of  comparison  is  the  annual  report  of  publica- 
tions in  this  country  and  England.  These  reports  are  especially  of 
interest  in  connection  with  the  returns  from  my  fifth  and  sixth  in- 
quiries as  to  total  accessions  and  the  number  classed  as  religious. 
These  returns  give  2.8  as  the  average  percentage  of  religious  works 
added  in  the  last  fiscal  year.  Among  individual  libraries,  9  per  cent 
in  a  city  of  central  New  York  is  at  one  extreme,  and  .6  (sx-tenths) 
of  one  per  cent  in  a  town  not  ten  miles  from  Boston  at  the  other,  neither 
institution  being  one  of  those  previously  instanced,  and  each 
reporting  as  religious  3.5  per  cent  of  their  total  collection.  That  is, 
libraries  containing  4.2  per  cent  religion  are  at  present  adding  2.8  per 
cent  yearly,  presumably  mostly  new  publications.  In  1902,  the  Pub- 
lishers' Weekly  recorded  7,833  volumes,  and  of  these,  639,  or  8  per  cent, 
were  religious;  in  1903,  out  of  7,865,  513  volumes,  or  6.5  per  cent, 
were  religious,  and  in  1904,  out  of  8,300,  717  volumes,  or  8.7  per  cent. 
If  these  figures  seem  small,  it  should  be  noted  that  fiction,  heading 
the  list  with  22  per  cent,  is  followed  next  by  religion  with  its  8  per  cent. 


RELIGIOUS  AND  ETHICAL  WORK  OF  LIBRARIES        347 

From  these  new  religious  publications,  averaging  700  volumes,  and 
from  the  thousands  of  past  years,  libraries  are  annually  obtaining  2.8 
per  cent  of  their  accessions,  which,  among  one  thousand,  means  only 
38.  This  argues  either  that  all  the  churches  and  all  the  townspeople 
are  satisfied  with  28  new  volumes  yearly  on  spiritual  matters,  or  that 
too  often  the  pen  of  the  religious  author  is  that  of  the  ready  writer, 
and  his  mind  that  of  the  sectarian  and  weakling,  or  that  the  libraries 
are  missing  a  great  opportunity. 

Replies  to  the  seventh  and  eighth  questions,  concerning  the  home 
use  of  these  books,  furnish  additional  information.  In  the  libraries, 
already  considered,  the  circulation  of  religious  books  is  .98  per  cent 
of  the  whole,  ranging  from  .3  per  cent  to  2.4  per  cent. 

To  recapitulate,  pubhc  libraries  contain  about  one  volume  classed 
in  religion  to  every  twenty-five  in  other  classes,  and  one  to  forty  less 
than  twenty-five  years  old;  each  year,  out  of  every  thousand  volumes 
of  accessions,  twenty-eight  are  religious,  and  the  home  use  is  less  than 
one  hundredth;  on  an  average,  one  sixty-fifth  the  circulation  of  fiction 
and  one-fourth  that  of  literature. 

For  our  encouragement,  and  especially  for  the  encouragement  of 
those  who  feel  that  the  time  is  ripe  for  a  "general  revival  of  religious 
and  moral  education,"  and  for  a  general  return  from  these  allied  sub- 
jects to  the  fundamental  truths  set  forth  in  the  Bible,  there  is,  finally, 
this  report  from  a  busy,  prosperous  city  of  two  hundred  thousand 
inhabitants,  a  city  whose  moral  character  is  commonly  regarded  to- 
day much  as  of  old  was  that  of  Sodom  and  Gomorrah:  "  We  have  been 
purchasing  more  fully  of  religious  works  directly  in  response  to  a  larger 
call  for  these  books  on  the  part  of  readers.  Much  of  this  literature 
has  been  in  some  way  connected  with,  or  the  result  of,  modem  Biblical 
criticism.  I  am  glad  to  say  that  there  are  several  church  societies, 
etc.,  engaged  in  studying  the  Old  or  New  Testaments  in  a  scientific 
manner." 

I  have  come,  during  the  preparation  of  this  paper,  to  feel  that 
church  societies  and  the  clergy  are  not  calling  upon  and  using  public 
libraries  as  they  well  might,  and  especially  that  libraries,  while  meet- 
ing gladly  all  who  come  for  aid,  have  not  the  best  possible  equipment  for 
fostering  "personal  study  on  the  part  of  parents  and  teachers,"  and  that 
they  are  not  giving  as  much  attention  to  the  work  of  the  church  uni- 
versal, buying  eagerly  the  best,  most  popularly  useful  literature,  as 
they  are  warranted  in  doing  by  the  ends  to  be  gained  and  the  supreme 
importance  of  the  subjects  to  be  considered, 


THE  MORAL  VALUE  OF  READING 

WILLIAM  I.  FLETCHER 

LIBRARIAN  AMHERST  COLLEGE,  AMHERST,  MASSACHUSETTS 

What  I  have  to  say  on  this  subject  has  reference  mainly  to  the 
use  and  utiHties  of  the  pubKc  hbrary.  The  object  of  the  pubhc  library 
is  to  place  within  the  reach  of  the  mass  of  the  people  the  best  books 
in  all  the  ranges  of  literature  and  knowledge,  and  not  only  so,  but 
also  to  exert  some  influence  to  induce  the  people  to  read  these  books. 
That  is  to  say,  no  one  will  regard  it  as  an  end  worthy  of  the  pubhc 
and  private  outlay,  which  has  been  so  lavishly  expended  on  our  1  bra- 
ries,  that  they  shall  hold  and  safely  preserve  the  treasures  of  litera- 
ture, if  the  commimity  only  receive  the  indirect  benefit  that  may  come 
from  the  use  of  the  books  by  their  preachers,  editors,  and  teachers, 
and  do  not  themselves,  to  any  extent,  read  the  books.  And  yet  a 
little  examination  into  the  matter  wil  bring  out  rather  strikingly  two 
things:  i.  That  only  a  small  minority  of  the  books  are  read;  and 
2.  That  only  a  small  minority  of  the  people  read  the  library 
books. 

On  one  hand,  we  have  on  the  library  shelves,  practically  untouched, 
rows  upon  rows  of  most  excellent  books.  On  the  other,  we  have  scores 
and  hundreds  of  families  whose  highest  intellectual  and  social  needs 
those  books  would  supply,  remaining  quite  indifferent  to  them,  and 
entirely  unrepresented  among  the  library's  patrons.  There  is,  it  must 
be  confessed,  a  very  common  apathetic  indifference  to  the  library, 
and  to  good  literature,  on  the  part  of  the  people  of  our  towns  and 
cities,  which  is  an  evil  as  strenuously  to  be  combatted  as  the  evil  of 
the  lack  of  books,  where  that  exists.  Certainly,  our  libraries  ought  to 
reach  with  their  influence  many  more  of  the  people  than  they  do. 
That  they  may  do  so,  requires  a  higher  conception  of  what  the  value 
of  reading  to  the  community  is.  If  we  look  upon  it  as  a  matter  of 
dilettantism,  especially  if  we  share  the  subtle  skepticism,  which  is  so 
prevalent,  as  to  the  capacity  of  the  popular  mind  for  culture,  we  shall 
only  half-heartedly  enter  into  efforts  to  bring  the  books  and  the 
people  together.  That  we  may  have  for  ourselves,  and  for  others, 
higher  ideals  as  to  the  use  of  books  it  is  worth  while  to  examine  this 
question  of  the  moral  value  of  reading.  For,  if  we  recognize  in  books 
a  power  for  the  moral  elevation  of  the  people,  and  not  merely  for  the 
promotion  of  intelligence  and  of  technical  skill,  we  shall  be  prepared 

348 


THE  MORAL  VALUE  OF  READING  349 

to  enter  into  efforts  for  the  greater  efficiency  of  this  agency  with  the 
enthusiasm  of  a  crusade. 

A  new  era  is  undoubtedly  dawn-ng  in  the  management  of  our 
libraries;  an  era  of  attractive  interiors,  helpful  attendants,  freedom  in 
the  use  of  books,  abolition  of  needless  and  irksome  restraints,  and, 
beyond  all,  the  actual  carrying  of  books  to  the  homes  of  the  people, 
especially  through  the  school,  and  the  familiarizing  of  school  children 
with  good  literature.  Such  an  attitude,  on  the  part  of  the  library,  as 
this  implies  the  truly  missionary  spirit,  which  must  be  essentially 
moral,  and  recognize  the  benefits  it  seeks  to  confer  as  moral  benefits, 
and  not  merely  economic  or  intellectual  benefits,  though  it  must  be 
confessed  the  lines  here  are  hard  to  draw.  Perhaps  it  is  not  neces- 
sary that  they  should  be  drawn  very  closely. 

Let  us  now  inquire  wherein  lies  the  moral  value  of  reading, —  of 
general  or  miscellaneous  reading,  we  must  be  understood  to  mean.  In 
the  first  place,  reading  furnishes  occupation  for  otherwise  idle  hours. 
Speaking  before  the  Boston  Mercantile  Library  Association  in  1850, 
the  late  George  S.  Hillard  said,  "Occupation  is  the  armor  of  the  soul, 
and  the  train  of  Idleness  is  borne  up  by  all  the  vices." 

Reading  tends  to  elevate  and  refine  conversation  and  social  inter- 
course. In  my  boyhood  it  was,  for  a  time,  my  lot  to  work  in  the  fields 
with  young  farm-hands,  and  I  always  recall  with  a  shudder  the  talk 
with  which  they  beguiled  the  time. 

It  is  difficult  for  us  who  live  in  an  atmosphere  so  charged,  as  is 
ours,  with  intelligence  and  culture  to  realize  what  life  is,  where  it  is 
narrowed  down  to  the  immediate  interests  and  happenings  of  our  own 
lives  and  those  immediately  about  us.  We  get  a  glimpse  of  the  nar- 
ro^vness  and  degradation  of  such  a  life  in  the  accounts  of  the  people 
of  the  mountains  of  Kentucky  and  Tennessee,  to  say  nothing  of  the 
"sweet  Aubums"  of  our  New  England  hills. 

Carlyle  said,  "  Do  not  books  accomplish  miracles,  as  runes  were 
fabled  to  do?  They  persuade  men.  Not  the  wretchedest  circulating- 
library  novel,  which  foolish  girls  thumb  and  con  in  remote  villages, 
but  will  help  to  regulate  the  actual  practical  weddings  and  households 
of  those  foolish  girls."  So,  let  us  not  fail  to  recognize  the  moral 
value  of  romance  reading  in  humanizing  and  refining  the  lives  and 
homes  of  our  people,  and  preparing  a  soil  for  the  seed  of  a  better  life. 

And  it  has  been  remarked  by  some  of  our  most  experienced  libra- 
rians, among  them  the  late  Dr.  Poole  of  Boston  and  Chicago,  that 
most  readers,  having  formed  a  habit  of  reading,  proceed  to  read  a 
better  class  of  books  than  those  which  first  allure  and  please  them. 


3SO  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

and  that,  in  fact,  they  generally  read  books  that  are  superior  in  their 
general  tone  to  their  daily  life  and  thought,  and  so  are  led  on  from 
one  stage  to  another.  Certainly,  this  seems  likely,  for  it  would  be  a 
poor  sort  of  romance  which  did  not  present  some  ideals  of  heroism, 
of  devotion,  of  unselfishness,  above  the  sordid  lives  which  many  lead. 

However  much  force  there  may  be  in  these  observations,  it  is  when 
we  pass  to  social  and  political  developments  under  democracy  that 
the  moral  value  of  reading  in  the  community  becomes  most  strikingly 
evident.  The  world  over,  the  people  are  rapidly  assuming  the  direc- 
tion of  affairs.  In  Russia,  the  power  of  czars  and  bureaus  to  suppress 
them  seems  steadily  weakening.  In  Germany,  the  popular  element  in 
the  government  constantly  gains  in  power. 

Let  us  observe  some  of  the  ways  in  which  reading  may  prepare 
the  people  for  the  responsibility,  thrown  upon  them  by  democracy. 
The  reading  of  history  goes  far' to  teach  the  hoUowness  of  demagogic 
pretensions,  and  to  expose  the  falsity  of  the  claims  of  novelty  advanced 
by  this  or  that  political  creed  or  programme.  The  well-read  citizen 
knows  that  the  same  experiments  have  been  tried  before,  and  takes  a 
warning  from  the  page  of  history.  And  in  biography,  which  is  his- 
tory, plus  personality,  the  citizen  has  the  stimulus  to  virtuous  conduct 
in  public  life  of  the  example  of  living  men.  Who  can  estimate  what 
has  been  done  for  the  political  education  of  our  young  voters  by  the 
biographies  of  Booker  Washington,  Jacob  A.  Riis,  Robert  E.  Lee, 
John  A.  Andrew,  Roger  Wolcott,  and  others  of  these  most  recent, 
to  say  nothing  of  those  of  Washington  and  Lincoln. 

The  reading  of  books  of  travels  sober  one's  judgments  by  exhib- 
iting the  effects  upon  character  of  environment,  in  climate,  in 
geographic  conditions,  in  forms  of  government,  and  teaches  how 
to  m.ake  due  allowances  in  behalf  of  the  strangers  who  come  to  us 
from  other  shores;  while  travels  in  unexplored  regions,  towards  the 
north  or  south  pole,  or  into  the  heart  of  Africa,  by  their  display  of 
heroic  qualities  on  the  part  of  the  explorer,  kindle  the  latent  heroism 
of  the  reader,  and  prepare  him  to  stand  unflinchingly  by  a  good 
cause,  through  thick  and  thin.  Can  we  tell  what  the  world  would  be 
without  the  example  of  a  Sir  John  Franklin,  a  Dr.  Kane,  a  Living- 
stone, a  Stanley  ?  names  whose  very  mention  makes  our  blood  run 
quick,  and  stirs  us  to  emulate  their  heroism  and  fortitude. 

Again,  the  books  which  make  the  mysteries  and  the  marvels  of 
modern  science  the  common  property  of  all  who  read,  who  can  meas- 
ure their  influence  in  the  molding  of  character  ?  Not  only  the  astron- 
omer, if  sane,  must  be  devout  and  reverent,  but  he  who  catches    a 


THE  MORAL  VALUE  OF  READING  351 

glimpse  of  the  heights  and  depths  which  are  opened  by  any  of  the 
sciences.  The  non-Euclidean  geometry  admitting  that  parallel  lines 
may  meet  somewhere,  the  physics  which  avers  that  objects  never 
really  come  into  contact  with  one  another,  the  astronomy  which  handles 
universes  as  the  very  small  dust  of  the  balance, — these  sciences  are 
making  their  way  down  among  the  people,  challenging  the  pride  and 
conceit  of  hard-and-fast  knowledge,  and  making  men  ready  to  abandon 
preconceived  notions  and  cherished  prejudices.  And  the  science 
which,  by  patient  and  sympathetic  observation,  is  slowly  winning  the 
secrets  of  our  humble  companions,  the  dumb  animals,  the  little  folks 
in  feathers  and  fur,  and  the  larger  folk  who  inhabit  the  woods  or  our 
farms,  is  broadening  our  humanity  and  softening  our  hearts. 

Such  are  some  of  the  moral  effects  of  reading.  When  we  dwell 
upon  them  we  see  in  them  the  promise  and  potency  of  nearly  all  that 
we  can  desire  for  mankind.  Intelligence,  good  taste,  good  manners, 
reasonable  and  sane  political  action,  gentleness  and  kindliness  in  house- 
hold and  social  life,  honesty  and  square  dealing  in  business, — all  these, 
we  feel,  are  fostered  by  good  reading.  A  very  large  question  that 
must  be  met  is  that  of  newspaper-reading.  Very  different,  and  even 
conflicting,  opinions  are  held  by  those  of  good  judgment  and  intelli- 
gence. Undoubtedly,  the  substitution  of  newspaper-reading,  especially 
of  the  yellow  type,  for  the  reading  of  good  books  would  be  a  calamity. 
But  no  such  substitution  takes  place.  It  is  rather  a  case  of  the  news- 
paper or  nothing.  And  so  viewed,  the  newspaper  is  infinitely  the  better. 
Those  who  have  observed  the  almost  universal  use  of  the  cheap  news- 
paper by  the  mass  of  the  people  in  the  cities,  while  they  may  deplore 
the  comparatively  low  grade  of  culture  thus  indicated,  must  and  do 
recognize  that  it  means  essentially  the  education  of  these  people.  It 
broadens  horizons  and  quickens  sympathies.  It  brings  the  ends  of 
the  earth  together,  and  puts  the  reader  in  touch  with  all  that  is  going 
on,  thus  making  him  feel  with  a  thrill  that  he  is  a  "citizen  of  the  world." 
And  the  newspaper  is  always  championing  some  good  cause — fresh  air, 
better  tenements,  better  fire-protection,  freer  government  in  some  form ; 
a  constant  school  of  politics.  Granted  that  the  form  is  often  sensa- 
tional in  the  extreme,  it  is  the  form  that  it  must  take  to  secure  patron- 
age, and  it  always  tends  to  improve.  What  we  have  said  about  the 
reading  of  a  low  order  of  novels  applies  equally  to  this. 


PRINCIPLES    GOVERNING  THE   CHOICE   OF  RELIGIOUS 

AND  THEOLOGICAL  BOOKS  FOR  PUBLIC 

LIBRARIES 

GEORGE    F.  BOWERMAN 

LIBRARIAN  PUBLIC  LIBRARY  OF  THE  DISTRICT  OF  COLUMBIA,  WASHINGTON,  D.  C. 

In  the  1893  edition  of  the  American  Library  Association  catalogue, 
220  out  of  5,230  titles  fell  under  the  group  of  religion  and  theology, 
or  4  per  cent  of  the  whole  number;  in  the  1904  edition,  319  out  of 
7,520  titles,  or  4.2  per  cent,  were  included  in  this  group.  Taking  into 
consideration  the  great  variety  of  subjects  upon  which  books  are  writ- 
ten, and  the  enormous  yearly  output  of  books  in  the  classes  of  such 
popular  interest  as  fiction,  biography,  travel,  history,  fine  arts,  useful 
arts,  and  general  literature,  this  4  per  cent  is  perhaps  a  fair  con- 
servative estimate  of  what  is  due  religious  literature.  It  would  seem, 
however,  that  public  interest  in  religious  and  theological  subjects 
might  easily  justify  a  larger  percentage,  even  allowing  for  the  fact 
that  with  so  many  persons  the  spoken  sermon  seems  almost  entirely 
to  preclude  the  necessity  of  the  religious  book.  Broadly  speaking, 
the  department  of  religion  and  theology  in  a  public  library  should  be 
as  well  equipped  as  any  other  departments,  and  only  the  reasons 
which  operate  to  restrict  the  collections  in  other  departments  should 
be  valid  in  the  religious  department,  namely,  paucity  of  funds,  and, 
in  some  cases,  lack  of  use. 

With  the  adoption  of  a  principle  of  proportion,  the  question  of 
choice  of  books  arises.  In  general,  it  may  be  said  that  the  same  rules 
of  choice  should  be  adopted  that  apply  to  books  in  other  classes,  and 
thus,  in  theory,  the  question  raised  by  the  title  of  this  paper  is  dis- 
posed of.  But,  in  practice,  difficulties  often  arise  in  choosing  for  pur- 
chase religious,  and  especially  theological,  books,  or,  in  deciding  con- 
cerning their  acceptance  as  gifts, —  diflSculties  which  do  not  arise  in  con- 
nection with  books  of  other  classes.  In  my  own  case,  I  have  often 
found  it  necessary  to  give  the  matter  some  thought,  because  of  objec- 
tions which  were  raised  by  prominent  and  educated  users  of  the  library, 
and  in  several  cases  by  trustees,  to  the  presence  of  certain  books  in 
the  library,  and  more  rarely  to  the  absence  of  others  from  its  shelves. 
Numbers  of  individual  cases  which  have  come  up  for  decision  have 
led  to  the  adoption  of  a  rather  general  policy  governing  the  subject. 
In  the  first  place,  the  standpoint  of  the  public  library  in  judging  of 

352 


RELIGIOUS  BOOKS  FOR  PUBLIC  LIBRARIES  353 

any  books,  even  religious  books,  is  not  primarily  religious,  but  literary 
and  educational. 

The  library  can  in  no  way  be  a  partisan.  Since  religion,  to-day, 
is  not  a  unit,  but  is  manifested  under  various  forms,  the  library  can- 
not co-operate  with  the  adherents  of  one  form,  while  discriminating 
against  those  of  another.  Its  shelves  must  fairly  represent,  in  addi- 
tion to  the  broad  field  of  religious  literature  devoid  of  sectarian  bias, 
many  different  and  often  antagonistic  beliefs,  according  to  the  de- 
mand of  readers.  If  some  one  asks  why  a  certain  volume  of  an 
anti-Catholic  tone  is  allowed  in  the  library,  the  answer  must  be  that 
the  library  collection  is  not  one-sided;  that  it  represents  many  differing 
views.  Or,  if  some  opponent  of  Christian  science  objects  to  the  pres- 
ence in  the  library  of  Christian  science  magazines  and  books,  the  ob- 
vious reply  is  that  Christian  scientists  are  part  of  the  community  to 
which  the  library  ministers,  and  so  must  justly  be  considered. 

Pursuing  the  same  general  policy  with  regard  to  periodicals,  the 
public  library  may  properly  be  a  subscriber  to  the  leading  journal 
of  each  denomination  which  possesses  any  considerable  number  of  ad- 
herents in  the  community.  Many  denominations  are  glad  to  present 
to  the  library  their  leading  periodical.  Of  course,  this  is  done  in  the 
spirit  of  propaganda,  and  the  magazine  may  then  be  considered  a 
tract,  which  some  libraries  are  unwilling  to  accept.  For  the  sake  of 
consistency,  they  are  therefore  inclined  to  refuse  admittance  to  all 
such  denominational  periodicals.  If  church  journals  are  used  and  en- 
joyed by  readers,  however,  as  they  undoubtedly  are,  there  seems  to 
be  as  good  reason  for  supplying  them  as  for  supplying  the  various 
technical  and  trade  journals. 

Of  religious  histories  and  biographies,  the  public  library  should,  of 
course,  have  a  liberal  supply.  All  the  standard  lives  of  Christ  should 
be  included,  regardless  of  their  doctrinal  point  of  view,  and  new  works, 
as  they  appear,  should  be  purchased  on  their  merits.  The  best  works 
on  the  various  ethnic  religions  would  also  form  part  of  a  well-rounded 
collection. 

There  is  a  large  number  of  books  which  are  thoroughly  religious 
in  character  without  being  doctrinal  or  controversial,  such  as  works 
on  practical  Christianity,  and  general  religious  thought  and  life,  as 
well  as  books  of  devotion,  meditation,  and  some  volumes  of  sermons. 
Concerning  such  books,  there  is  usually  little  difficulty  in  deciding,  but 
they  should  be  purchased  with  discrimination. 

Religious  books  of  a  decidedly  doctrinal  and  controversial  nature 
form  the  class  regarding  which  there  are  likely  to  be  differences  of 


354  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

opinion.  Many  such  books  are  offered  to  the  Hbrary  as  gifts,  just  as 
denominational  magazines  are  offered,  by  persons  who  wish  to  prop- 
agate certain  doctrines.  In  general,  I  should  say  that  all  such  doc- 
.  trinal  books,  which  come  to  the  library  as  gifts  should  be  accepted, 
provided  they  do  not  violate  all  the  canons  of  good  taste,  and  are  not 
in  thought  indecent  or  subversive  of  morals.  Of  course,  any  book 
which  is  illiterate  or  vulgar  in  expression,  coarse,  or  immoral  in  thought, 
according  to  generally  accepted  standards  of  morality,  and  cheap  and 
tasteless  in  printing,  binding,  etc.,  should  be  politely  declined,  always 
with  the  true  reason,  tactfully  and  perhaps  not  always  fully,  explained. 
But  a  book  should  not  be  declined  simply  because  the  librarian  or 
some  of  his  associates,  or  the  trustees  of  the  library,  do  not  agree  with 
the  opinions  expressed  in  it;  and  in  declining  a  gift  for  any  of  the 
reasons  already  mentioned,  the  librarian  should  be  careful  to  make 
clear  to  the  donor  that  it  is  not  declined  because  of  its  doctrines.  It 
is  hardly  necessary  to  say  that,  to  insure  fairness,  this  policy  of  ac- 
ceptance of  gifts  must  be  carried  out  in  all  cases.  Some  one  may  ob- 
ject that  even  if  this  policy  is  consistently  carried  out,  still  un  airness 
arises,  because  the  gifts  to  a  library  will  undoubtedly  not  include 
books  on  all  doctrines.  But  a  reply  to  such  an  objection  is,  that  any 
member  of  the  community  who  wishes  to  insure  the  presence  in  the 
library  of  a  book  supporting  his  especial  belief  may  present  such  a 
book  to  the  library,  or,  if  he  does  not  wish  to  present  it,  he  may  request  its 
purchase.  The  privileges  of  presenting  books  to  the  library  and  of 
requesting  the  purchase  of  books  are,  or  should  be,  open  to  all.  As 
a  matter  of  policy,  in  order  to  assure  every  citizen  of  the  absolute 
impartiality  of  the  library,  it  is  well  to  secure  for  the  library  a  repre- 
sentative collection  of  the  literature,  especially  on  its  historical  side, 
of  each  denomination  having  a  number  of  adherents  in  the  commu- 
nity. 

The  selection  of  doctrinal  and  controversial  books  for  purchase 
should  be  guided  by  the  same  standards  of  taste  that  prevail  in  the 
case  of  gifts,  that  is,  by  demand,  and  by  the  condition  of  the  book 
fund.  A  library  would  hardly  buy  an  expensive  work  on  the  creed  of 
some  small  and  obscure  sect,  represented,  perhaps,  by  only  three  or 
four  persons  in  the  community.  Nor  would  it  perhaps  be  able  to 
purchase  many  works  of  such  detailed  and  scholarly  criticism  as  would 
be  of  use  to  only  a  few  theological  scholars,  though,  where  the  fund 
is  sufficient,  even  such  scholarly  works  may  very  properly  be  purchased. 

In  the  children's  department  of  a  library,  it  seems  to  me  that  a 
somewhat  different  policy  should  be  pursued  with  regard  to  religious 


RELIGIOUS  BOOKS  FOR  PUBLIC  LIBRARIES  355 

books.  Adults  either  have  abeady  formed  their  religious  opinions 
when  they  come  to  the  library,  and  know  what  they  wish  to  read,  or 
they  are  of  sufficient  maturity  to  be  entitled  to  a  free  selection  of  ma- 
terial to  aid  in  forming  their  opinions.  It  is  different  with  children 
They  have  undeveloped  but  impressionable  minds,  and  though  the  pub- 
lic library  very  appropriately  aims  to  form  in  them  good  literary  taste, 
it  has  nothing  to  do  with  forming  a  religious  bias.  It  is  perhaps, 
also,  unfair  to  parents  to  furnish  their  children  with  material  for  form- 
ing religious  beliefs  contrary  to  what  they  wish,  though  it  may  justly 
be  said  that  parents  should  themselves  supervise  the  reading  of  their 
children.  Many  parents  do  not  do  this,  however.  Several  fathers  and 
mothers  have  said  to  me,  "I  have  sent  my  boy  down  to  your  library. 
Of  course,  anything  he  finds  there  will  be  all  right."  Therefore  it 
seems  to  me  that  the  children's  room  of  a  public  library  is  no  place 
for  religious  literature  of  a  doctrinal  or  controversial  character.  Sun- 
day school  libraries  may,  if  it  is  desired,  supply  denominational  read- 
ing to  the  children  sent  to  them. 

The  religious  books  that  may  properly  be  found  in  the  children's 
room  of  the  public  library  are  those  of  a  very  general  religious  char- 
acter, such  as  Bible  stories,  told  in  a  simple  way,  lives  of  Christ  ar- 
ranged for  children,  and  that  great  favorite  of  nearly  all  children.  Pil- 
grim's Progress.  The  list  of  books  for  boys  and  gurls  prepared  by 
the  Brooklyn  Public  Library  contains  only  fourteen  titles  under  Ethics 
and  religion.  That  prepared  for  the  Iowa  Library  Commission  by 
Miss  Moore,  children's  librarian  of  the  Pratt  Institute  Free  Library 
contains  only  eleven  under  that  heading.  A  small  number  of  titles  of 
well-selected  books,  and  those  few  often  duplicated,  form  a  better  re- 
ligious collection  for  a  children's  room  than  a  more  extensive  list. 


THE  PUBLIC  LIBRARY  AND  THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOLS 

SAM  WALTER  FOSS 

LIBIIARIAN  PUBLIC    LIBRARY,  SOMERVILLE,  MASSACHUSETTS 

The  public  library  should  co-operate  with  the  Simday  school  be- 
cause the  public  library  needs  the  Sunday  school,  I  suppose  it  will 
not  be  very  strenously  denied  now,  in  any  quarter,  that  it  is  the  business 
of  the  pubHc  library  to  circulate  good  books,  and  the  more  good  books 
it  circulates  the  better  pubUc  library  it  is.  The  public  library  says 
to  any  organization  it  sees  going  among  the  people,  "  While  you  are  out 
upon  your  work  will  you  please  take  some  of  my  books  with  you?" 
The  public  library  uses  every  team  that  is  harnessed  and  is  going  in  the 
right  direction  to  take  a  bundle  of  books  along.  The  Sunday  school  is 
a  team  that  is  harnessed.  As  nearly  as  its  drivers  can  see  through  the 
fogs  and  storms  that  beset  all  drivers,  it  is  going  in  the  right  direction. 
The  public  library  wants  to  go  in  the  same  direction,  but  it  has  no  team. 
So  it  politely  asks  the  Sunday  school  for  a  ride.  The  good  public  li- 
brary, looking  for  a  ride,  will  find  teams  enough.  Its  books  can  be 
carried  to  the  people  through  the  agency  of  the  day  schools,  the  fire 
stations,  the  car-bams,  the  pohce  stations,  the  boys'  club,  the  Y.M.C.A., 
the  city  stables,  factories,  and  manufactories  of  all  kinds.  The  Suiiday- 
school  is  only  one  of  many  teams  by  which  the  library  gets  free  rides 
among  the  people.  The  public  library  has  waited  for  the  people  to 
come  to  it,  but  has  found  that  the  majority  of  the  people  never  come.  On'y 
a  small  fraction  of  the  men  in  any  community  ever  enter  the  public 
library  of  that  community.  We  cater  to  a  very  small  percentage  of 
the  population.  The  majority  of  men,  and  a  goodly  fraction  of  women, 
are  chronic  absentees  from  public  libraries.  It  has  taken  a  gener- 
ation to  learn  the  simple  lesson  that  the  way  to  reach  men  is  to  go  where 
they  are.  The  Sunday  school  is  one  of  the  places  where  they  are;  and 
the  PubUc  Library  that  really  believes  in  circulating  books  will  willingly 
accept  the  co-operation  of  the  Sunday  school. 

The  public  library  needs  the  Svmday  school.  But  does  the  Svmday- 
school  need  the  pubUc  library  ?  If  it  is  one  of  the  objects  of  the  Sunday- 
school  to  circulate  good  books,  then  many  Sunday  schools  do  certainly 
need  the  public  library,  for  many  of  the  Sunday  schools  do  not  have 
any  good  books  to  circulate.  I  think  it  may  be  laid  down  as  an  axiom 
that  the  goody-goody  book  is  always  a  bad  book.  In  all  seriousness,  its 
influence  is  pernicious,  and  its  effect,  on  the  whole,  immoral.     Though 

3S6 


THE  PUBLIC  LIBRARY  AND  THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOLS      357 

highly  recommended  by  moral  hygienists  of  an  earlier  day,  such  books 
are  bad  food  for  immortal  souls.  They  are  resultant  in  too  flabby  a 
tissue  for  real  men.  Nearly  all  Sunday  schools  see  now  that  they  were 
grievously  in  error  in  forcing  this  kind  of  diet  on  growing  boys  and  girls. 
But  the  books  are  still  on  the  shelves,  and  are  not  worn  out,  and  there 
is  no  money  with  which  to  buy  more  books.  Why  should  it  not  call 
on  the  Pubhc  Library  for  help?  It  has,  perhaps,  only  a  few  dollars  a 
year  to  spend  for  books.  The  public  library  has  hundreds,  of  en 
thousands,  sometimes  tens  of  thousands,  of  dollars  for  the  annual  pur- 
chase of  books,  and  is  in  the  book-buying  business.  So  the  public 
library  is  a  team  harnessed  up  and  going  to  the  bookstore  to  buy  books. 
It  is  coming  home  with  large  bundles  and  boxes  filled  with  books.  If  it 
is  willing  to  buy  a  few  for  the  Sunday  school,  the  Sunday  school  is  a 
little  slow,  is  it  not,  if  it  refuses  the  service  ?  Let  both  the  library  and 
the  Sunday  school  use  the  team  that  is  harnessed  up  and  is  going  in  the 
right  direction. 

Some  objections  have  been  brought  farward  against  the  co-operation 
of  the  Sunday  school  and  the  public  library.  It  is  said  that  the  church 
and  the  state  should  be  kept  forever  separate  and  distinct.  This  is  true, 
and  it  is  a  matter  in  which  all  patriotic  and  all  religious  men  agree.  If 
the  public  library  should  venture  to  dictate  what  manner  of  books 
the  Sunday  school  should  use,  that  would  be  an  interference  of  the  state 
with  the  church;  and  such  a  public  library  could  not  abide  the  thunder 
of  the  pubhc  wrath  that  would  be  hurled  against  it.  On  the  other  hand, 
if  the  Sunday  school  should  attempt  to  dictate  the  kind  of  books  the 
pubhc  library  should  buy,  such  a  d  ctation  would  be  an  interference  of 
the  church  with  the  state  and  would  hardly  meet  with  a  smiling  re- 
sponse from  any  librarian  or  any  board  of  trustees.  Any  librarian  who 
would  try  to  force  Presbyterian  books  upon  a  Unitarian  Sunday  school, 
or  Mormon  literature  upon  a  Methodist  Sunday  school,  would  probably 
lead  an  exciting  life.  But  all  such  difficulties  are  easily  avoided.  Let 
the  library  throw  open  its  doors  to  all  Sunday  schools,  and  let  the 
Sunday  schools  select  the  books  they  desire.  On  the  whole,  I  would 
advise  pubUc  libraries  to  buy  such  books  as  the  Sunday  schools  recom- 
mend. Our  library  has  always  done  so,  and  I  do  not  know  that  any 
books  have  as  yet  been  recommended  which  we  have  been  unwilling 
to  buy.  It  would  not  be  well  for  libraries  to  buy  for  Sunday  schools 
books  of  intense  ecclesiastical  partisanship,  books  bitterly  controver- 
sial, or  books  narrowly  sectarian.  I  would  buy  even  such  books  as 
these  for  individuals;  for  the  intense  ecclesiastical  partisan,  the  bit- 
ter controversialist,  and  the  narrow  sectarian  are   citizens  with  rights. 


358  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

and  very  frequently  pay  taxes.  But  a  religious  organization,  like 
a  church  or  a  Sunday  school,  is  hardly  justified  in  ask'ng  a  library 
supported  by  public  funds  to  become  a  propagandist  of  its  own  pecu- 
liar ecclesiastical  tenets.  But  as  far  as  my  own  experience  goes  ,none 
of  these  things  ever  happen.  Sunday  schools,  as  a  rule,  do  not  ask  for 
ecclesiastical  books,  dogmatic  books,  or  controversial  books.  They 
want,  as  a  rule  helpful  inspiring  and  wholesome  books  for  the  young. 
They  ask  for  the  k'nd  of  books  that  a  library  delights  to  buy,  and  dup- 
licate, and  reduplicate.  We  find  hat  they  are  going  in  the  right  direc- 
tion, and  we  can  ride  with  them  without  quarreling,  and  not  without 
pleasan'  converse  on  the  trip. 

I  hope  to  see  the  day  come  speedily  when  all  the  Sunday  schools  of 
all  the  churches  wll  use  the  books  of  all  the  public  Hbraries.  There  are 
many  Sunday  schools  that  will  not  do  it  now,  and  there  are  many  public 
libraries  that  would  not  permit  them  to  do  it  even  if  they  were  willing 
and  eager  for  the  service.  There  are  a  few  theoretical  obstacles  in  the 
way  that  look  portentous;  but  they  are  built  largely  of  mist  and  moon- 
shine, and  recede  into  nothingness  as  we  advance  upon  them.  The 
thing  works  well  in  actual  execution.  Here  are  two  institutions,  the 
Simday  school  and  the  pubhc  library,  both  of  them  hampered  more 
or  less  by  human  defects  and  un-wisdom,  but  both  of  them  with  lofty 
ideals,  both  of  them  trying  to  do  men  good,  both  of  them  sound-hearted 
at  the  core.  Both  of  them  think  that  somehow  they  are  moving  toward 
that  "  far-off,  divine  event  to  which  the  whole  creation  moves."  We 
are  traveling  toward  a  common  goal.  Let  us  go  together  and  help 
each  other  along. 

HILLER    C.    WELLMAN 

LIBRARIAN   CITY  LIBRARY,    SPRINGFIELD,    MASSACHUSETTS 

Is  it  worth  while  to  have  secular  books  in  a  Sunday  school  library  ? 
This  question  is  frequently  pressed,  now  that  public  libraries  are  min- 
istering so  generously  to  children.  The  answer  must  be  an  unqualified 
Yes.  Such  books  add  to  the  attractiveness  of  the  Sunday  school,  and 
furnish  the  child  with  quiet  recreation  to  help  him  observe  Sunday. 
But  the  paramount  reason  is  the  moral  influence  of  books.  The  two 
or  three  assistants  in  the  pubHc  library's  children's  room  deal  with 
some  five  thousand  children  while  the  teacher  may  have  but  five.  She 
is  brought  into  the  most  intimate  relations  with  them.  She  often  meets 
those  whom  the  library  can  never  reach.  She  must  have  at  hand  proper 
books,  in  order  to  interest  children  in  good  reading.  For  this  reason 
libraries  are  eager   to   lend  books   to   Sunday  schools.     Many  of  the 


THE  PUBLIC  LIBRARY  AND  THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOLS    359 

latter  already  have  books  of  their  own;  but,  to  be  effective,  such  collec- 
tions must  be  kept  fresh.  Replies  to  a  circular  sent  to  various  Sunday 
school  libraries  all  over  the  country  brought  out  this  unexpected  fact  — 
that  if  the  library  is  to  be  a  live  one,  there  must  be  frequent  additions. 
Otherwise  even  a  large  collection  soon  becomes  dead. 

In  Springfield,  from  fifty  to  one  hundred  volumes  are  sent  to  any 
Sunday  school  applying  for  them.  The  plan  is  quite  flexible.  There 
is  no  formaUty,  except  a  note  from  pastor  or  superintendent  promising 
to  make  good  undue  loss.  The  books  are  chosen  by  the  superintendent 
or  by  the  library  ofl&cials,  and  are  exchanged  as  often  as  may  be  desired, 
but  usually  they  are  kept  six  months  at  a  time.  Explanatory  circulars 
have  been  sent  to  every  pastor  or  superintendent,  and  although  only 
nine  Sunday  schools  last  year  took  advantage  of  this  plan,  they  borrowed 
among  them  nearly  a  thousand  books,  and  presumably  each  book  was 
read  many  times. 

The  propriety  of  this  service  has  sometimes  been  questioned  by  li- 
brary authorities  elsewhere,  when  a  similar  plan  has  been  proposed, 
but  it  seems  quite  as  justifiable  to  lend  several  books  to  several  people  or 
an  association  as  to  lend  one  to  an  individual.  The  service  differs  only 
in  degree,  not  in  character. 

In  two  cases,  branch  libraries  have  been  established  in  churches,which 
keep  the  books  in  their  parish  houses,  and  once  a  week  open  the  room  to 
anyone  wishing  to  borrow  the  books.  At  first  the  churches  supported 
these  branches  entirely  without  aid,  but  in  one  case  the  work  grew  so 
extensive  that  a  library  assistant  now  takes  charge  of  it. 

Besides  these  general  collections,  the  library,  of  course,  supphes 
numerous  books  to  individual  members  of  Sunday  school  classes.  One 
such  class,  for  example,  is  making  an  uncommonly  thorough  and  com- 
prehensive study  of  ecclesiastical  history  from  the  very  earliest  times. 
Its  members  are  assigned  topics,  for  which  the  library  hunts  up  and 
furnishes  the  books  and  articles.  Other  classes  are  studying  missions, 
and  for  them  the  library  furnishes  practically  all  the  books  suggested 
in  Dr.  Griffis'  "  Dux  Christus." 

The  teachers,  too,  constantly  seek  the  library's  aid.  Guides  and 
manuals  for  teaching  are  often  found  in  the  Sunday  school  library,  but 
they  frequently  are  not  used  there,  owing,  probably,  to  the  absence  of 
the  catalogues,  apparatus,  and  staff  of  assistants  that  exist  in  a  public 
library  for  fitting  the  right  book  to  the  right  person.  Certainly,  at  the 
public  library  teachers'  manuals  of  all  kinds,  particularly  such  books 
as  Moodie's  " Tools  for  Teachers,"  made  up  of  anecdotes,  legends,  etc., 
classified  according  to  the  moral  qualities  they  illustrate,  are  in  constant 


36o  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

demand.  The  single  text-book  no  longer  suffices  eitlier  in  the  Sunday 
school  or  the  secular  school.  New  methods  call  for  much  collateral 
and  illustrative  material,  and  for  this  the  teacher  naturally  depends  on 
the  public  library.  Brief  lists  of  the  teachers'  manuals,  of  books  on 
the  Holy  Land,  of  the  best  popular  works  on  the  archaeology,  science, 
and  manners  and  customs  of  the  Bible,  etc.,  are  being  prepared  to  be 
printed  and  distributed  among  Sunday  school  teachers.  The  ministers' 
club  appointed  a  committee  of  clergy  and  laymen  to  compile  a  list  of 
the  best  books  in  the  library  for  Sunday  school  pupils,  and  this,  too,  if 
completed,  will  probably  be  printed  by  the  library. 

The  clergy  and  the  library  maintain  intimate  relations.  Last  winter 
a  conference  was  held  to  discuss  methods  of  co-operation.  Advice  in 
the  purchase  of  religious  books  is  often  sought  from  the  ministers,  and 
they  are  invited  to  furnish  descriptive  notes  for  bulletin  and  newspaper 
notices.  The  library  has  a  fund  yielding  two  hundred  and  fifty  dollars 
per  year,  given  by  its  former  librarian, William  Rice,  for  buying  religious 
books,  and  as  the  total  number  published  annually  in  the  United  States 
is  only  some  six  hundred  or  seven  hundred,  this  sum  is  ample  to  buy  all 
those  of  general  interest  for  the  library.  New  books  of  this  class  have  been 
sent  to  the  monthly  meetings  of  the  ministers  for  inspection.  Non-resident 
clergymen  from  neighboring  cities  and  towns  also  are  allowed  to  borrow 
these  books  without  charge.  This  valuable  and  unusual  privilege  was 
instituted  when  William  Rice  was  librarian,  and  has  been  continued 
partly  in  recognition  of  his  devoted  services  and  generous  endowment 
of  the  theological  department. 

Besides  books,  the  library  has  a  large  collection  of  pictures,  many 
of  which  were  gathered  expressly  for  Sunday  school  use.  There  are 
over  a  thousand  illustrating  the  Bible.  Those  showing  scenes  in  the 
life  of  Christ  are  arranged  chronologically,  according  to  Stevens  and 
Burton's  "Harmony  of  the  Gospels."  A  key  consisting  of  a  numbered 
list  of  the  events  makes  reference  easy  to  the  groups  of  pictures.  The 
cost  of  gathering  such  a  collection  is  very  small  except  for  the  expenditure 
of  time. 


THE  NEED  OF  PROFESSIONAL  LIBRARIES  TO  MAINTAIN 
THE  STANDARD  OF  OUR  MINISTRY 

GEORGE  A.  JACKSON 

LIBRARIAN  GENERAL  THEOLOGICAL  LIBRARY,  BOSTON,  MASSACHUSETTS 

I  have  made  some  careful  and  far-reaching  inquiries  of  men  standing 
in  official  relations  with  all  branches  of  our  ministry  in  several  states. 
To  these  inquiries  I  have  received  courteous  and  pains  taking  replies. 
The  substance  of  my  inquiry  was  as  to  the  proportions  of  trained  and 
untrained  men  in  our  several  associations,  conferences,  conventions, 
dioceses,  etc.,  and  what  relation  these  sustain  to  similar  proportions  of 
a  generation  ago.  By  "  trained  "  men,  I  explained  that  I  did  not  of 
necessity  mean  college-bred  men,  but  did  mean  those  whose  education 
or  experience,  however  gained,  should  enable  them  to  meet  on  a  certain 
parity  of  footing  with  the  educated  people  of  their  communities. 

These  are  the  general  results  of  my  investigation: 

1.  Contrary  to  a  former  impression,  I  to-day  think  that  the  original 
training  of  our  New  England  ministers  is  not  behind  but  is  in  advance 
of  that  of  a  generation  ago. 

2.  This  opinion  is  of  our  ministry  as  a  whole.  In  some  well-peopled 
sections,  and  among  classes  of  ministers  where  we  once  looked  for  broad 
training  as  a  matter  of  course,  there  has  been  a  little  falling  ofif.  In- 
stitutions promotive  of  piety  rather  than  learning  have  sent  students 
into  parishes  once  manned  by  competent  scholars.  But  judges  to  whom 
I  defer  think  that  this  is  but  a  temporary  phase,  due  to  influences 
which  are  passing  away.  But  over  against  this  waning,  we  must  place 
the  conspicuous  up-grading  of  other  and  very  considerable  bodies  of 
our  ministers,  thus  more  than  maintaining  the  general  status. 

3.  Yet  candor  compels  me  to  assert  that  in  certain  large  and  more 
remote  districts  there  is  a  somewhat  general  decline  in  ministerial  effi- 
ciency, which  decline,  I  am  confidently  told,  is  due  to  the  pitifully 
small  salaries  given  to  the  ministers. 

4.  A  noteworthy  fact  is  this,  that  all  our  denominations  are  getting 
many  excellent  ministers  from  other  states  and  other  countries.  Once 
we  exported  ministers  in  large  numbers:  now  we  import  them.  And 
we  must  not  let  any  petty  provincialism  prevent  our  welcoming  these 
men.  The  colleges  of  the  West  and  South  show  no  serious  dearth  of 
candidates  for  the  ministry.  So  much  for  the  educational  status  of  our 
clergymen.     Their  moral  status,  their  sincerity  and  devotion,  no  one 

36 1 


362  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

questions.  Our  efficient  school  system  and  our  unparalleled  library 
equipment  make  it  unsafe  for  a  half-taught  pretender  to  pose  among 
us  as  learned.  Our  communities  are  few  where  there  are  not  families 
with  college  traditions,  if  not  actual  college  connections.  Our  people 
read.  They  know  what  is  going  on  in  the  great  world.  Few  churches 
could  be  found  among  us  where  the  bearing  of  the  great  Russo-Japanese 
struggle  upon  missionary  work,  and  the  progress  of  the  kingdom  of 
God,  have  not  been  considered  by  lay  persons.  And  the  world  of  thought 
is  known  to  us.  The  universally  accepted  conclusions  of  science  have 
become  to  us  axioms.  For  a  preacher  to  insist  upon  six  literal  days  of 
creation  would  be  likely  to  discount  him  down  in  Aroostook  as  truly  as 
here  on  the  Back  Bay.  And  we  know  in  a  general  way  that  these 
scientific  truths  are  not,  as  it  was  once  feared  they  might  be,  antago- 
nistic to  religion. 

All  this  makes  the  present  period  a  very  exceptional  one  in  the  history 
of  religious  thought.  Men  think  to-day  involuntarily  in  accordance 
with  canons  of  the  evolutionary  philosophy.  Nothing  stands  isolated ; 
all  is  related.  Fiat  origins  are  next  to  unthinkable.  Orderly  processes 
with  results  take  the  place  of  ultimate  and  inexplicable  events  and  en- 
tities. True  of  every  other  department  of  thought,  this  was  bound  to 
be  true  of  our  religious  thinking.  As  a  consequence,  everything  most 
sacred  to  us  has  had  to  bear  new  tests. 

Now,  one  of  the  reasons  why  ministers  to-day  and  for  the  next  twenty- 
five  years  should  have  the  best  professional  books  is  that  they  may  be 
true  spiritual  guides  upon  this  supremest  subject  of  religion,  the  reality 
of  the  revelation  of  God  among  men.  For  if  it  has  taken  enlightened 
scholars  a  quarter-century  to  reach  restful  conclusions,  it  will  take  the 
popular  mind  at  least  a  like  period  to  reach  the  same  goal. 

I  said  earlier  that  there  was  one  unnamed  topic  upon  which  our  people 
had  a  general  knowledge.  It  is  this  of  Biblical  criticism.  Thousands 
and  tens  of  thousands  among  us  know  just  enough  about  it  to  inspire 
doubts  and  fears,  and  a  half  distrust  of  the  teachings  of  their  ministers, 
a  feeling  that  they  are  not  telling  them  the  whole  truth.  And  too  often 
from  sheer  ignorance  the  ministers  are  not  telling  them  the  truth.  Too 
often,  alas,  when  they  do  speak  of  the  subject,  it  is  simply  to  denounce 
criticisms  as  ungodly  attacks  upon  the  Bible.  This  manner  of  treat- 
ment, in  communities  of  reading  people  who  know  that  the  best  and 
ablest  divines  in  the  country  approve  of  reverent  criticism,  simply  under- 
mines the  minister's  influence.  Either  —  so  people  reason  —  he  is  him- 
self ignorant  upon  this  distinctively  professional  subject,  where  it  is  his 
duty  to  be  informed,  and  so  not  fitted  for  a  religious  teacher,  or  he  is 


THE  NEED  OF  PROFESSIONAL  LIBRARIES  363 

uncandid,  and  so  not  trustworthy  as  a  moral  guide.  Especially  do  our 
brighter  young  people  share  this  feeling,  those  who  go  to  college  or  push 
out  into  the  world. 

I  have  granted  that,  as  a  body,  our  ministers  have  had  an  original 
equipment  adequate  to  their  work.  Had  these  men  begun  their  min- 
istry, say,  in  1825,  with  a  relatively  good  training,  they  might  have  worked 
for  twenty-five  years  very  successfully,  without  any  special  stimulus 
from  without,  because  men's  ideas  of  God's  providence,  of  the  Bible, 
and  of  the  Christian  life  did  not  materially  change  from  1825  to  1850; 
Whereas  the  theological  education  given  to  our  ministers  even  fifteen 
years  ago, —  and  the  majority  of  them  left  the  schools  longer  ago  than 
that, —  unless  it  has  been  supplemented  by  somewhat  diligent  reading 
meantime,  does  not  qualify  them  for  spiritual  guides  of  reading  com- 
munities. And  that  hundreds  and  hundreds  of  them  are  simply  draw- 
ing upon  those  old  divinity  school  resources  is  painfully  evident  from 
the  conditions  aheady  set  forth. 

What  shall  we  ?  Arraign  these  men  as  recreants  to  their  trust  ?  In 
some  instances,  possibly;  but  as  a  rule,  not  so.  For,  unlike  most  other 
classes  in  New  England,  ministers  do  not  have  access  to  the  professional 
books  needed  to  keep  them  abreast  of  their  duties.  In  some  few  centers 
of  learning,  and  in  the  rare  cases  of  ample  salaries  or  independent  re- 
resources,  this,  of  course,  is  not  true.  But  when  we  recall  that  our  public 
libraries,  while  catering  to  all  other  wants,  do  not  buy  theological  books, 
—  three  to  four  per  cent  covers  all  the  religious  books  in  the  average 
library,  and  not  a  tithe  of  these  are  suitable  for  professional  helps  to 
clergymen, —  and  remember  that  less  than  a  third  part  of  our  churches 
pay  salaries  of  a  thousand  dollars,  and  many  of  the  two  thirds  far  less 
than  that,  we  must  have  large  charity  for  ministers  who  cease  to  read, 
and  as  a  consequence  fall  behind  in  the  race.  For  too  often  they  simply 
cannot  command  books,  even  when  they  realize  their  need  of  them. 

Because  in  this  showing  I  made  special  reference  to  the  matter  of 
biblical  criticism,  do  not  think  that  I  deem  this  the  sole  feature  of  the 
newer  religious  thought  for  our  ministers  to  know.  Far  from  it.  There 
are  larger  conceptions  of  religion  as  a  heritage  of  all  mankind;  there 
is  knowledge  of  the  ethnic  religions,  with  their  excellencies  as  well  as 
their  gross  defects,  which  our  ministers  should  grasp,  that  they  may  in- 
telligently direct  the  missionary  work  of  their  churches.  There  are  new 
methods  of  spiritual  work,  new  lines  of  activity  for  Christian  workers, 
adaptations  of  Christian  principles  to  social  and  industrial  problems, 
a  score  of  directions  in  which  the  live  pastor  may  be  reaching  out,  and 
that  without  leaving  his  own  legitimate  sphere.     For  I  am  no  apologist 


364  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

for  the  minister  who  forgets  that  his  distinctive  functions  are  priestly 
and  prophetic;  and  that  there  are  to-day  educators,  journalists,  sociolo- 
gists, political  economists,  and  other  professional  workers,  trained  for 
their  spheres,  who  make  it  unnecessary  for  him  to  be  such  a  factotum 
of  learning  as  were  his  old-time  predecessors. 

And  now  what  is  this  work  to  be  done  for  our  ministers  ?  Nothing 
that  schools  or  colleges  can  do.  A  little  can  be  done  and  is  being  done 
by  the  seminaries,  in  the  line  of  the  work  which  Andover,  for  example,  is 
attempting  by  gathering  pastors  for  special  instructions;  but  the  men 
who  can  be  reached  by  such  work  are  few.  Rather  should  our  ministers 
outside  the  intellectual  centers,  the  college  and  seminary  bred  men  as 
truly  as  others,  be  furnished  with  professional  books;  such  books,  I 
mean,  as  they  need  to  guide  the  thought  of  reading  but  not  discriminating 
communities,  whose  half-knowledge  is  prejudicing  them  against  eternal 
truths. 

Every  argument  for  public  library  work,  free  libraries,  holds  good 
for  furnishing  free  to  clergymen  their  needed  books.  That,  some  one 
says,  would  be  a  class  charity,  and  there  is  already  too  much  treating 
of  ministers  as  semi-paupers.  Of  course  I  agree  that  ministers  should 
be  so  paid  as  to  make  them  independent  of  all  discrimination  in  their 
favor;  but  as  a  matter  of  fact  they  are  not  so  paid.  As  a  class,  they  can- 
not command  the  tools  of  their  trade  equally  with  high-grade  mechanics. 
And  the  public,  so  lavish  with  general  libraries,  and  so  penurious  with 
clerical  stipends,  is  actually  discriminating  against  this  most  deserving 
body  of  public  servants  when  it  withholds  from  them  a  free  and  ample 
supply  of  their  kind  of  books. 

Existing  professional  libraries  should  be  utilized,  and  these  libraries, 
by  more  adequate  support,  should  be  enabled  to  do  this  work.  Already 
it  is  being  done  in  part.  But  the  work  should  be  put  upon  such  a  basis 
that  not  only  the  books  may  be  made  available  to  all  clergymen  at  a 
nominal  cost,  but  that  bulletins  may  be  regularly  sent  out,  catalogues 
supplied,  and  other  steps  be  taken  which  librarians  understand.  Only 
so  can  we  supply  the  many  ministers  who  actually  hunger  for  books, 
rouse  the  topid  who  have  forgotten  their  need  of  books,  and  generally 
enable  our  ministry  to  become  masters  intellectually  of  the  present  re- 
ligious situation. 


XIV.     THE  PRESS 


HOW  CAN  THE  PRESS  EDUCATE  THE  PUBLIC  RESPECT- 
ING THE  PROGRESS  AND  MEANING  OF  THE 
MISSIONARY  MOVEMENT 

MR.  SILAS  McBEE 

EDITOR   THE   CHURCHMAN,    NEW   YORK   CITY 

There  would  seem  but  one  answer  to  this  question:  by  printing 
missionary  news.  The  primary  work  of  the  press  is  to  inform  the 
public,  and  a  worthy  cause  can  desire  no  better  system  of  education 
than  one  founded  on  accurate  information.  The  record  of  the  life  of 
a  movement  reveals  at  once  its  meaning  and  its  progress.  When, 
therefore,  the  press  comes  to  print  full  and  fair  missionary  news,  it 
will  become  an  enormous  educational  force  for  missions.  This  the 
press  does  not  now  do.  The  problem,  therefore,  is,  not  How  can  the 
press  educate  the  public  in  this  matter  ?  but  how  can  the  press  be  induced 
to  print  missionary  news  ?  I  do  not  lay  the  blame,  certainly  not  the  bur- 
den of  blame,  upon  the  press.  A  newspaper,  like  any  other  business, 
is  largely  controlled  by  the  law  of  supply  and  demand.  As  the  great 
majority  of  people  know  little,  and  therefore  care  little,  about  Christian 
missions,  it  would  manifestly  be  unfair  to  expect  the  press  to  print 
missionary  news  beyond  the  demand  for  it,  or  to  become  a  missionary 
for  missions  unless  it  did  so  from  conviction. 

But  if  the  press  is  to  be  converted  and  is  to  become  an  instrument 
for  Christian  missions,  or  if  a  demand  is  to  be  created  for  missionary  news 
which  it  will  feel  constrained  to  print.  Christians  themselves  must  ac- 
complish this.  There  is  a  wide  difference  between  political  economy 
and  Christian  economy.  In  one  the  demand  creates  the  supply,  but 
in  the  other  the  supply  creates  the  demand.  A  messenger  of  Christ 
does  not  wait  until  men  demand  the  gospel,  but  he  goes  forth  as  a 
supply  to  create  a  demand  for  the  gospel  The  economic  principle  is 
to  get;  the  Christian  principle  is  to  give.  Here  is  an  essential  dif- 
ference, and  it  is  the  principle  involved  here  that  differentiates  the  re- 
ligious and  the  secular  press.  The  religious  press,  together  with  all 
other  religious  agencies,  must  furnish  the  supply  which  will  in  turn 
create  a  demand  for  information  about  religious  life  and  work. 

Passing  by  those  instances  in  which  the  press  willfully  or  ignorantly 
misrepresents  Christian  enterprise,  the  American  press  is  especially 

365 


366  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

generous  in  printing  news  that  has  any  vitality,  regardless  of  the  sub- 
ject-matter of  the  news.  I  have  heard  a  manager  of  press  dispatches 
say  that  his  company  was  willing  to  pay  higher  for  "  live  religious 
news  "  than  for  any  other  class  of  matter,  because  the  demand  for  it 
was  increasing  with  great  rapidity,  but  that  it  was  the  hardest  kind  of 
news  to  get.  I  am  disposed,  therefore,  to  say  that  the  blame — certainly 
the  bulk  of  the  blame — rests  upon  those  who  are  responsible  for  mis- 
sions, from  the  home  to  the  farthest  foreign  field.  If  the  religious 
press,  with  the  aid  of  all  these,  cannot  secure  live  news,  if  it  cannot 
draw  such  news  from  the  life  of  the  Church,  how  can  we  expect  the 
general  press  adequately  to  present  the  progress  and  meaning  of  mis- 
sions ?  But  in  thus  emphasizing  the  responsibility  of  the  religious 
press,  I  do  not  minimize  the  responsibility  of  every  Christian  worker, 
official  and  lay.  I  only  mean  that  the  religious  press  ought  to  be  able 
to  make  its  demand  for  news  so  urgent  that  the  news  would  be  forth- 
coming. This  the  religious  editor  will  never  do  until  he  is  himself 
(and  realizes  that  every  member  of  the  Church  is)  as  much  a  mis- 
sionary as  those  who  are  sent  to  the  utmost  bounds  of  the  earth . 

When  once  this  conviction  possesses  and  controls  the  policy  of  the 
religious  editor,  his  opportunities  and  his  advantages  will  multiply,  and 
he  will  demand,  not  imaginative  stories  or  pious  dissertations  that  are 
worse  than  imaginings,  but  the  actual  facts  of  the  Church's  life  as 
expressed  in  the  lives  of  those  who  are  endeavoring  to  extend  the  king- 
dom of  their  Lord  and  Master.  In  such  a  demand  he  has  a  right  to 
expect  the  co-operation  of  all  Christians.  The  press  has  justified  its 
claim  to  be  a  power  in  the  propagation  of  news,  and  the  more  good 
news,  living,  real,  inspiring  news,  that  can  be  given  to  the  world  through 
the  press,  the  greater  will  become  its  power  for  the  betterment  of  man- 
kind. 

It  is  unreasonable  to  expect  a  daily  newspaper — I  am  glad  to  say 
that  it  is  becoming  impossible  to  require  a  religious  newspaper  —  to  print 
subjective  and  overpious  interpretations  of  things,  instead  of  the  rec- 
ord of  the  things  themselves.  Let  me  illustrate.  If  a  battle  is  fought, 
the  story  that  is  read  the  world  round  is  the  vivid  picture  of  what  took 
place.  If  a  political  victory  is  won,  the  same  kind  of  story  is  printed 
and  eagerly  devoured  from  one  end  of  the  land  to  the  other.  In  the 
same  way  the  world  wants  to  know,  and  to  know  in  the  most  picturesque 
and  vivid  way,  the  victories  of  the  Christian  Church.  It  does  not  want 
the  excursions  into  subjective  personal  experiences  or  the  explanations 
of  speculative  causes  that  led  up  to  certain  results,  with  which  we  are 
overburdened  in  our  missionary  meetings,  and  which  too  often  encum- 
ber, if  they  do  not  obliterate,  the  force  of  missionary  appeals. 


THE    SUNDAY    PRESS    AS    RELATED    TO    MORAL    AND 

RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

REV.   JOHN  L.  SEWALL 

RANDOLPH,  MASSACHUSETTS 

The  Sunday  newspaper  makes  upon  each  of  us  a  distinct  impression. 
We  are  familiar  with  its  look.  We  have  at  least  a  general  idea  of  its 
contents.  We  are  aware  of  certain  attitudes  of  mind  toward  it,  ran- 
ging from  eager  interest  to  strong  aversion.  I  offer  for  your  present 
thought  a  study  of  the  Sunday  press  in  its  relation  to  moral  and  re- 
ligious education.  This  calls  for  thorough  and  fair-minded  inquiry 
concerning  its  motives,  dimensions,  and  character,  forming  as  it  does 
a  very  living  factor  in  the  world  of  present-day  thought. 

It  is  easy  to  use  strong  language  concerning  some  of  our  modern 
newspapers,  the  defects  of  whose  week-day  editions  are  accentuated 
in  their  Sunday  issues.  No  one  can  deny  the  existence  to-day  of  some 
"  yellow,"  utterly  unreliable  journals,  who  thrive  on  scare-heads,  and 
in  dull  times  can  always  manufacture  a  sensation,  if  only  to  contra- 
dict it  in  a  later  issue.  These  papers  certainly  appear  to  be  purely 
mercantile  ventures,  indiffernt  to  their  influence  if  only  they  find 
purchasers  with  ready  money.  It  seems  almost  absurd  to  discuss  the 
relation  of  such  sheets  to  moral  and  religious  education.  Such  high 
themes  exert  no  more  constructive  influence  with  these  publishers  than 
with  the  makers  of  steam-boilers,  or  overcoats,  or  breakfast  foods.  All 
their  energy  is  centered  on  one  plain,  strenuous  business  proposition 
— how  to  get  out  a  paper  next  Sunday  morning  that  will  eclipse  last 
Sunday's,  and  distance  all  competitors  in  sales  and  profits.  What  dif- 
ference does  it  make  to  them  whether  their  voluminous  sheets  are  used 
for  Sunday  school  text-book  or  for  carpet- linings,  if  once  they  are 
bought  ? 

We  need  not  mince  terms  in  dealing  with  such  literary  phenomena ; 
but,  fortunately,  they  are  the  exception,  and  not  the  rule,  in  the  news- 
paper world.  We  must  discriminate  between  them  and  a  different 
class,  one  of  whose  managers  I  have  questioned,  and  from  whose  reply 
I  make  the  following  quotation:  "  The  aims,  motives,  and  policy  of 
a  Sunday  paper  do  not  differ  from  those  of  any  other  paper  during 
the  week.  The  main  difference  is  in  the  size  and  quality  of  reading 
matter,  which  is  carefully  selected  to  entertain,  instruct,  and  amuse  the 
reader.     In  that  particular  it  may  antagonize  the  preacher,  and  in  that 

367 


368  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

alone.  The  great  majority  of  newspapers  are  conducted  with  a  high 
moral  principle,  which  causes  their  managers  to  throw  away  sensation 
after  sensation  that  readers  would  undoubtedly  devour  if  they  could 
but  get  the  chance.  A  newspaper  manager  would  be  a  fool  who  had 
no  concern  for  the  influence  of  his  paper;  if  its  influence  was  bad,  it 
would  sell  only  spasmodically.  To  go  into  the  homes  of  the  people, 
you  must  give  a  clean,  reliable  paper,  or  it  does  not  sell.  The  motive 
of  the  publisher  is  to  produce  a  paper  that  interests  the  women  and 
children;  that  a  man,  no  matter  who,  will  be  glad  to  bring  home  to 
his  family." 

In  1884  there  were  78  daily  papers  publishing  Sunday  editions,  a 
custom  which  began  during  war  times  forty  years  ago.  (There  were  also 
153  weekly  papers  with  Sunday  as  their  publication  date,  which  have 
since  nearly  doubled  in  number;  few  of  these,  however,  have  as  large 
a  circulation  as  one  thousand,  and  they  need  no  special  consideration 
in  this  discussion.)  In  1884  there  were  in  the  five  cities  of  New  York, 
Chicago,  Philadelphia,  St.  Louis,  and  Boston  seventeen  dailies  with 
Sunday  editions;  eleven  in  foreign  languages,  with  average  weekly 
circulation  close  to  150,000;  the  remaining  six  in  English,  aggregating 
over  200,000.  What  do  we  find  after  twenty  years?  These  78  Sun- 
day papers  have  increased  in  number  to  336,  and  their  circulation  to 
approximately  ten  millian  copies  each  week.  The  showing  in  the  five 
cities  mentioned  is  now  as  follows: 

F( 

New  York 

Chicago 

Philadelphia 

St.  Louis 

Boston 

29  560, 000  34  4,  546, 400 

This  advance  in  these  our  largest  cities  is  noteworthy,  seventeen 
papers  becoming  in  two  decades  63,  and  multiplying  their  circulation 
fifteen-fold;  but  equally  so  is  the  progress  of  the  remaining  61  dailies 
in  other  cities,  whose  number  has  risen  since  1884  to  273,  and  whose 
circulation  also  touches  the  five-million  mark.  It  is  important  to  note 
that  the  locations  of  these  papers  are  quite  evenly  distributed;  one  or 
more  is  published  in  every  state  of  the  Union,  save  Delaware,  Nevada, 
New  Hampshire,  Vermont,  and  Wyoming ;  and  in  every  territory  ex- 
cept New  Mexico  and  Alaska.  By  use  of  special  trains  and  the  issuing 
of  early  editions  beginning  at  midnight  Saturday,  these  papers  reach 


;ign 

Circulation 

English 

Circulation 

7 

331,  000 

13 

I,  642,  600 

8 

103,  000 

6 

928,  800 

2 

116,  000 

6 

721,  800 

2 

10,  000 

5 

520,  000 

0 

4 

733,  200 

THE  SUNDAY  PRESS  369 

the  remotest  railroad  points  in  New  England,  for  example,  before  Sun- 
day noon.  Here,  then,  we  have  a  grand  total  of  ten  million  Sunday 
papers  sent  out  fifty-two  limes  a  year,  reaching  each  week,  at  the  lowest 
estimate,  twenty-five  million  readers,  or  one  third  of  our  population, 
who  eagerly  pay  in  nickels  (and  sums  reaching  as  high  as  eight  and 
ten  cents  in  remote  places)  between  $26,000,000  and  $30,000,000 
every  twelve  months. 

Let  us  admit  that  the  Sunday  paper  cannot  be  suppressed  nor 
checked  in  its  growth,  and  as  a  logical  sequence  of  that  admission,  let 
us  frankly  refuse  to  longer  ignore  its  influence.  It  must  be  reckoned 
with  in  any  truthful  estimate  of  the  forces  affecting  religious  and  moral 
standards.  The  most  that  its  bitterest  opponent  could  hope  to  accom- 
plish would  be  to  thrust  back  the  hour  of  its  publication  to  Saturday 
afternoon;  but  this  result  is  about  as  likely  to  happen  as  the  stopping 
of  all  trolley-cars  on  the  Lord's  day.  If  it  occurred,  it  would  still  leave 
this  huge  mass  of  reading  matter,  unchanged  a  whit  in  its  character, 
in  the  hands  of  the  people,  and  that,  too,  on  the  one  day  of  the  week 
which  is  becoming  the  only  leisure  time  left  to  Americans — ministers 
excepted — for  reading. 

Can  we,  then,  hope  in  any  way  to  change  the  prevailing  character 
of  the  Sunday  press,  so  as  to  lessen  elements  in  it  which  seem  reli- 
giously or  morally  hurtful,  or  at  the  least  useless  ?  and  can  we  substitute 
something  really  helpful?  Yes;  ij  we  know  how.  We  ministers  can- 
not do  it  by  scolding  our  people  for  staying  at  home  with  their  papers 
Sunday  morning,  and  missing  our  sermons.  We  cannot  do  it  by  con- 
demning, however  justly,  certain  features  of  the  paper  which  seem  to 
us  poor  reading  for  Sunday  or  any  other  day.  Nor  ought  we  to  be  too 
confident  that  the  millennium  is  at  hand  because  in  the  columns  of  the 
Sunday  paper  famous  divines  and  distinguished  educators  write  on 
themes  of  momentary  sensation,  even  though  a  few  threads  of  religion 
and  morals  may  be  discerned  interwoven  into  the  fabric.  The  only 
way  to  change  the  Sunday  press  so  as  to  make  it  forceful  for  righteous- 
ness and  truth  is  to  go  to  the  editor's  office  and  lay  upon  his  desk  some 
new  literary  wares,  embodying  in  skilful  form  your  moral  dynamic, 
and  then  persuade  him  that  there  will  be  a  market  for  the  paper  that 
prints  it.  This  is  no  impossible  achievement;  but  it  needs  more  com- 
mon sense  than  simply  offering  a  sermon,  written  on  both  sides  of  the 
paper  and  interlined  in  a  clergyman's  average  penmanship.  This  sup- 
position is  not  a  caricature;  it  is,  unfortunately,  too  often  a  fair  illus- 
tration of  the  sagacity  used  in  attempts  to  get  religious  matter  into 
the  daily  press.     There  is  nothing  which  the  editors  of  all  the  Sunday 


370  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

papers  in  the  land  want  so  much  at  this  precise  moment  as  something 
new  and  interesting;  some  attractive  "  feature"  for  next  Sunday's 
issue;  something  that  will  catch  the  eye  of  the  man  floundering  amid 
the  billowy  waves  of  two  hundred  square  feet  of  ink-smeared  wood- 
pulp,  and  offer  to  him  a  good  hope  of  rescue  from  drowning  in  a  del- 
uge of  "  things  he  has  seen  before."  How  much  confidence  do  we 
really  have  in  the  attractiveness  of  the  great  verities  of  religion  and 
morals?  Is  our  strong  speech  on  this  theme  always  sincere?  We  are 
so  fond  of  saying  that  the  gospel  of  Christ  is  the  most  interesting  thing 
in  the  world.  Do  we  believe  what  we  say?  and  can  we  make  the  as- 
sertion good?  The  gospel  is  certainly  a  sufficient  novelty  to  many  of 
the  present  readers  of  Sunday  papers.  Whatever  men's  indifference 
to  the  abstract  doctrines  of  religion  and  differences  of  religious  sects, 
all  are  keenly  alive  to  the  victories  of  vital  religion  in  truthful  and 
honest  lives.  There  was  never  an  hour  when  the  masses  of  our  coun- 
trymen were  more  stirred  over  injustice  and  the  triumph  of  shrewd 
knavery,  or  more  eager  for  anything  that  will  make  good  morals  domi- 
nant in  the  men  with  whom  they  do  business  day  by  day. 

Now,  whenever  the  teacher  of  religion  or  morals,  distressed  over  the 
lacks  of  the  Sunday  press  and  eager  to  see  its  great  power  turned  to 
higher  uses,  can  present  themes  of  higher  interest  in  a  form  whose 
attractiveness  to  readers  will  fit  his  own  estimate  of  the  importance  of 
his  matter,  the  problem  will  be  solved.  He  will  find  no  difficulty  in 
the  substitution  of  such  matter  for  something  now  in  the  Sunday  paper, 
and  which  is  staying  there  only  until  the  editor  can  find  something 
which  his  customers  would  prefer.  The  hopefulness  of  such  suc- 
cess is  strengthened  by  the  present  transformation  of  the  Sunday  paper 
from  a  mere  collection  of  the  last  day's  news  into  a  weekly  magazine, 
thus  permitting  the  widest  range  of  literary  substance  and  form, — 
biography,  interviews,  parable,  or  fiction.  There  may  be  found  already, 
in  some  Sunday  papers,  occasional  articles  possessing  religious  or  moral 
worth;  but  the  largest  charity  is  forced  to  admit  their  infrequency. 
The  practical  problem  is,  can  and  will  the  number  of  such  articles  be 
increased  by  those  who  honestly  aspire  for  usefulness  to  the  cause 
which  we  represent  here  this  afternoon?  Do  any  of  us  care  and  dare 
to  compete  with  the  present  feature-makers  of  the  Sunday  paper,  and 
thus  make  a  practical  effort  to  better  the  relations  between  it  and  the 
highest  educational  and  religious  values? 


THE  RELATION  OF  THE  RELIGIOUS  PRESS  TO  THE 

POPULARIZATION  OF  BIBLE  STUDY 

REV.  FREDERICK  A.  BISBEE,  D.  D. 

EDITOR  OF  THE  UNIVERSALIST  LEADER,  BOSTON,  MASSACHUSETTS 

In  a  sense,  we  have  a  new  Bible  and  a  new  method,  which  have  com- 
manded the  attention  of  a  new  class,  and  in  a  measure  discouraged  the 
attention  and  interest  of  the  large  mass  of  once  eager  readers,  if  not 
students.  It  is  quite  generally  accepted  among  reHgious  teachers  that 
the  new  Bible  which  the  new  method  has  given  has  lost  none  of  its 
charm  and  none  of  its  value,  but  rather  has  been  enriched  and  made 
more  efficient  for  service  when  it  shall  again  resume  its  regal  place  in 
popular  favor.  And  the  question  before  us  at  this  time  is,  What  can 
the  Religious  Press  do  to  revive  or  awaken  popular  interest  ? 

It  is  my  conviction  that  there  is  no  instrumentality  posessed  of  such 
large  possibilities  along  this  line  as  the  Religious  Press  and  that  there 
is  no  more  worthy  object  to  command  its  enthusiastic  service.  It  is 
possible  for  the  reUgious  press  to  recall  the  Bible  from  the  attic  and 
the  closet  and  lay  it  open  again  in  the  family  circle  and  the  Sunday 
school  class.     But  there  are  conditions. 

The  first  condition  is  that  the  religious  press  shall  earnestly  want 
to  do  this  thing.  And  that  condition  does  not  obtain  to-day.  The 
policy  of  the  rehgious  press  does  not  differ  from  the  modem  pulpit 
in  cultivating  a  diversity  of  interests  to  such  an  extent  as  to  defeat  any 
specific  purpose.  I  only  note  the  facts  to  which  we  have  all  been 
driven,  as  it  seems  to  us,  however  unwillingly;  the  fact  that  we  have 
pushed  the  distinctly  religious  interests,  to  foster  which  we  were  called 
into  being,  farther  and  farther  back  in  our  papers  to  make  room  for 
the  so-called  "  hve  topics  "  of  secular  life,  devoting  our  conspicious 
columns  to  the  discussion  of  current  events,  to  exactly  the  same  class 
of  editorial  work  we  find  in  the  secular  press,  flattering  ourselves 
that  we  are  molding  national  or  even  international  life.  We  all  want 
to  be  all-round  editors,  instead  of  sticking  to  our  own  peculiar  business 
of  planting  and  fostering  religion  as  the  chief  interest  of  mankind. 

Trace  any  religious  journal  to  its  origin,  and  we  shall  find  it  had 
its  birth  in  some  splendid  sacrifice;  there  were  those  who  believed 
their  faith  was  essential  to  the  welfare  and  happiness  of  the  world, 
and  they  were  determined,  at  whatever  cost,  to  send  that  faith  forth 
on  its  benevolent  mission;  they  gave  their  money,  their  time,  their 

371 


372  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

strength,  their  very  hfe,  for  that  purpose;  they  did  not  think  of  making 
money;  they  did  not  say,  "  Twenty  thousand  circulation  will  com- 
mand so  much  advertising,"  but  they  did  say,  "  Twenty  thousand  cir- 
culation will  help  to  save  two  thousand  souls."  Once,  religious  papers 
were  started  because  they  had  something  to  say;  now,  they  are  started 
under  the  vain  delusion  that  they  will  pay!  The  passing  of  two  of  the 
leading  religious  journals  of  America  over  to  the  secular  field,  the 
turning  of  their  backs  upon  the  sublime  purpose  of  their  founders, 
can  be  looked  upon  as  little  less  than  a  disaster,  especially  when  many 
others  follow  their  progress  with  envious  eyes.  It  is  true  that  new 
conditions,  the  multiplying  of  periodicals,  have  narrowed  the  field  of 
the  church  paper,  but  it  still  has  its  unique  field,  its  peculiar  talent, 
which  it  must  cultivate,  or  it  will  be  taken  away  and  given  to  another. 

The  primary  purpose  of  the  religious  journal  is  to  foster  religion, 
all  else  must  be  merely  incidental;  in  proportion  as  it  departs  from 
this  purpose  does  it  cease  to  have  reason  for  being.  When  we  suffer 
or  encourage  the  crowding  of  the  specifically  religious  into  the  ob- 
scurity of  small  type  and  narrow  columns  to  make  room  for  superfi- 
cially "  interesting,"  we  are  not  only  disloyal  to  our  holy  purpose,  but, 
I  firmly  believe,  are  committing  slow  but  certain  suicide. 

Fundamental  to  all  religious  teaching  is  the  Bible.  As  a  matter 
of  fact,  what  standing  has  this  Holy  Book  in  the  religious  press  of  to- 
day? What  proportion  of  space  and  what  location  are  given  it?  I 
have  examined  recent  numbers  of  nearly  all  of  the  religious  journals, 
only  to  find  a  very  occasional  article,  and,  excepting  in  incidental  refer- 
ence in  sermon  and  the  exposition  of  the  Sunday  school  lesson,  the 
primary  source  of  all  our  spiritual  life  has  been  stopped  up  with  "  cur- 
rent events,"  alleged  "  literature,"  or  essays  on  political,  sociological 
or  economical  themes.  Is  this  the  way  to  make  the  Bible  popular? 
We  can  be  sure  others  will  think  no  higher  of  the  Bible  than  we  think; 
and  when  we  banish  it  to  the  back  part  of  our  paper,  we  can  be  sure 
our  readers  will  banish  it  to  the  back  part  of  their  minds  and  hearts. 

Another  condition  of  popularization  is  a  popular  presentation.  And 
herein  do  we  face  serious  difficulties.  The  editor,  recognizing  the 
steps  already  taken  in  the  new  and  scientific  treatment  of  the 
Scriptures,  cannot  encourage  publication  of  the  old  methods  and  the 
old  results;  we  naturally  want  the  new  and  better,  but  the  new  is  still 
in  the  hands  of  those  who  are  academic  rather  than  popular;  the  re- 
sult is  that  we  shut  out  the  old  if  it  is  offered  and  when  we  seek  the  new 
we  get  only  that  which  belongs  to  the  classroom  or  the  Monday  morn- 
ing convocation;  for  the  new  Bible  is  still  so  largely  in  the  hands  of 


THE  POPULARIZATION  OF  BIBLE  STUDY  373 

the  student.  Thus  is  the  editor  ground  between  the  upper  and  nether 
stones. 

We  have  to  keep  in  mind  that  the  vast  majority  of  our  readers  are 
the  people,  and  not  the  ministers.  I  fancy  my  own  experience  has  been 
duplicated  in  other  offices.  With  a  sincere  desire  to  put  the  good 
results  of  the  new  Bible  study  before  our  readers,  so  that  they  would 
see  and  understand  that  their  Bible  is  not  being  despoiled  of  its  riches, 
but  is  being  enriched  and  hfted  to  a  still  higher  plane  of  service  and 
exalted  to  greater  honor,  I  tried  to  secure  from  those  who  were  most 
competent  to  speak  articles  which  should  accomplish  this  purpose. 
And  what  did  I  get?  Theses  on  the  process  of  criticism,  of  great  worth, 
and  perfectly  adapted  to  the  classroom  of  the  seminary,  but  of  no 
worth,  of  no  interest  to  the  average  reader. 

But  I  am  not  discouraged;  when  we  really  want  a  Uterature  which 
will  help  restore  the  Bible  to  its  supreme  place  in  the  hearts  of  the 
people,  we  shall  get  it;  and  with  that  at  our  command,  we  can  make 
large  contribution  to  the  restoration. 

Yet  another,  and  perhaps  most  important,  condition  is,  hearty 
editorial  sympathy  and  service.  After  all  is  said,  the  real  direction 
and  force  of  a  paper's  influence  is  determined  by  the  editor,  —  else  he 
should  not  be  the  editor.  He  may  be  open-minded  and  generous,  and 
admit  to  his  columns  the  most  antagonistic  matter,  yet,  consciously 
or  unconsciously,  he  shapes  the  policy  and  purpose  to  his  own  mind. 

As  to  specific  methods,  I  confess  myself  at  fault;  I  believe  in  the 
editorial,  of  course,  but  the  editorial  which  supports  and  is  supported 
by  the  able  article  has  a  larger  measure  of  efficiency.  It  is  not  possible 
to  work  out  systems  of  study  on  the  editorial  page ;  it  is  possible  to  awaken 
interest,  to  cultivate  and  sharpen  the  appetite,  to  stir  motives,  to  give 
momentum.  It  is  possible  to  magnify  the  study  of  the  Bible  as  chief 
among  the  life-studies.  And  why  do  we  not  ?  We  exploit  other  books, 
and  call  our  constituency  to  the  reading  and  study  of  them;  we  play 
at  politics  and  toy  with  literature,  and  study  schemes  for  social  better- 
ment, while  the  Book  of  books,  the  Treasure-chamber  of  God's  Word, 
the  greatest  literature  of  the  ages,  the  source  of  all  true  pohtics,  the 
fountain-head  of  all  social  reform,  the  secret  of  all  Christian  character, 
which  alone  can  redeem  the  world  and  bring  in  the  kingdom  of  Heaven, 
lies  neglected,  unread  in  the  homes,  perfunctorily  in  the  pulpit,  while 
in  the  so-called  Bible  class  we  study  about  it  but  do  not  study  it. 


XV.   CORRESPONDENCE   INSTRUCTION 


THE  PLACE  AND  POSSIBILITIES  OF  CORRESPONDENCE 

IN  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

PRESIDENT  FRANK  W.  GUNSAULUS,  D.D. 

ARMOUR  INSTITUTE  OF  TECHNOLOGY;  PASTOR  CENTRAL  CHURCH,  CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS 

I  remember,  as  I  stand  here,  that  once  upon  a  time  Mr.  Armour,  the 
founder  of  the  Armour  Institute  of  Technology,  visited  this  city  of 
Boston  with  me,  and  after  we  had  looked  over  the  work  which  is  done  so 
nobly  here  by  the  Massachusetts  institute,  we  tried  to  re-lay  the  founda- 
tions of  the  institute  in  Chicago.  He  said  to  me  about  a  year  after  that, 
when  once  he  was  visiting  the  institute  and  saw  a  good  many  well- 
dressed  young  men  there,  "  I  don't  know  whether  this  is  the  thing  I 
wanted  to  do  or  not.  I  want  to  get  at  the  man  in  the  overalls  and  the 
man  with  the  dinner-pail.  It  seems  to  me  that  there  ought  to  be  some 
way  to  get  this  institution  to  the  man  who  can't  get  to  the  institution. 
Now,  with  sausages  and  with  hams  and  soap  we  go  to  the  people,  and  it 
does  n't  seem  to  me  an  undignified  thing  for  an  institution  of  learning  to 
go  to  the  people  who  need  it  the  most."  In  that  spirit  we  began  the 
work  of  instruction  by  correspondence. 

Let  it  be  understood  at  the  very  beginning,  that  instruction  by  corre- 
spondence is  no  substitute  whatever  for  other  kinds,  any  better  and  more 
efl&cient  kinds,  of  instruction.  It  is  a  last  resort.  It  is  an  effort  to  get 
at  the  man  who  can't  get  at  the  instruction  himself.  It  is  a  sincere 
desire,  taking  an  organized  form,  and  working  along  lines  that  seem 
sensible  and  are  also  very  inspiring  in  their  nature  and  in  their  tendency, 
to  do  something  for  the  man  who  not  only  needs  it  the  most,  but  for  the 
man  whom  the  world  needs  the  most,  for  the  man  of  the  democracy, 
for  the  man  whose  relationship  to  life,  through  his  family,  is  an  ef- 
cient  one,  a  relationship  to  be  husbanded  and  guarded  and  to  be  rein- 
spired  as  often  as  possible,  in  order  that  the  pyramid  of  our  American 
thoughtful  Hfe  may  rest  upon  its  base,  and  in  order  that  out  of  the  de- 
mocracy there  may  perpetually  emerge  a  real  aristocracy  with  trained 
hands  and  trained  brains  to  lead  and  to  help  on  the  great,  good  time. 

[Correspondence  instruction  means,  in  the  first  place,  a  high  morality 
with  regard  to  that  thing  which  we  call  "  a  little  time."  Here  are  these 
men  with  their  little  time  on  their  hands.  The  day's  work  is  done,  the 
man  with  his  overalls  and  dinner-pail  goes  home:  what  is  he  going  to  do 

374 


CORRESPONDENCE  INSTRUCTION  375 

with  his  evening  ?  It  is  a  great  comfort  to  recognize  that  there  are  more 
than  60,000  human  beings  whose  evenings  cannot  be  spent  in  any  kind 
of  dissipating  activity,  but  are  actually  spent  so  that  this  little  time  is 
exalted  into  something  hke  a  leading  importance  in  their  lives.  And  lo! 
the  horizon  opens,  the  man  finds  himself  in  league  with  scholars,  he 
realizes  the  fact  that  he  belongs  to  the  great  republic  of  educated  people, 
or  people  who  are  being  educated,  and  that  little  time  shines  with  so 
much  of  significance  to  him  that  it  actually  creates  an  atmosphere  for  all 
the  other  times  of  the  day,  and  it  glows,  and  its  glow  is  contagious,  so 
that  the  other  hours,  the  hours  of  his  conversation,  the  hours  of  his  labor, 
come  to  circle  around  this  hour  with  its  splendid  significance  to  his  life 
and  to  the  life  of  his  family. 

The  personal  attention  given  by  correspondence  brings  about  a 
relationship  between  the  teacher,  between  the  author  of  the  instruction- 
paper  and  the  scholar,  which  is  very  wholesome  and  very  uplifting  to  the 
lives  of  these  men.  And  if  correspondence  instruction  is  pursued  as  it 
ought  to  be, —  that  is,  if  the  right  sort  of  men  have  it  in  charge,  if  the 
missionary  spirit  —  for  it  is  impossible  to  conduct  this  work  without 
a  genuine  missionary  spirit  —  if  the  missionary  spirit  is  all  at  work, 
forcing  its  paths  of  activity  into  new  grounds,  indicating  here  and  there 
the  new  possibilities  to  which  the  man  wakes  as  he  goes  forward, —  if 
that  missionary  spirit  is  present,  you  will  find  at  once  how  really  it  per- 
vades every  phase  of  the  man's  life,  and  how  personality  quickens  per- 
sonality, even  though  they  may  not  have  seen  one  another's  faces. 

It  used  to  be  said  that  university  extension  is  a  cheap,  short  road  to 
learning.  There  are  no  cheap  and  no  short  roads  to  learning.  It  was 
thought  that  university  extension  would  cause  people  to  think  they  knew 
more  than  they  do,  and  it  was  thought  that  the  whole  fabric  of  education 
was  to  go  because  people  would  see  these  things  for  themselves,  the 
wonder  would  depart,  the  amazement  that  stands  by  the  side  of  the 
ordinary  professor  would  go,  and  all  the  cloistered  phantasm  that  has 
belonged  for  too  many  years  to  culture  would  go.  Let  it  go.  It  has 
gone;  it  will  go  more  and  more.  The  very  moment  we  realize  that  the 
cultured  man  is  the  man  who  can  do  things  from  a  high  point  of  view, 
after  the  "  pattern  in  the  mount  "  of  his  life,  with  vision,  knowing  that 
there  are  laws  in  this  universe  —  the  very  instant  that  man  has  learned 
to  send  his  Hfe  along  practical  lines  efl&ciently,  he  has  entered  into  the 
great  brotherhood  of  cultured  men. 

You  will  realize  at  once  how  to-day,  say  to-night, —  there  are,  perhaps, 
to-night  260,000,  more  than  260,000,  men,  women,  boys,  and  girls  attend- 
ing university  extension  lectures.     Why,  do  I  think  for  a  moment  that 


376  THE  AIMS.  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

this  has  not  been  a  real  revival  ?  We  are  praying  for  a  revival  of  religion, 
with  the  most  complete  ingratitude  to  God  for  the  real  revivals  that  we 
have  been  enjoying  for  the  last  ten  or  fifteen  years  ever  known  in  the 
history  of  the  Church.  We  are  forgetting  this  immense  revival  in  civics. 
We  are  forgetting  the  revival  which  has  come  to  the  world  in  the  kinder- 
garten. We  are  forgetting  the  revival  which  has  come  all  over  the 
domain  of  culture  since  it  has  received  a  genuine  missionary  motive  and 
has  been  baptized,  as  it  never  was  baptized  before,  by  the  Holy  Spirit. 

Think,  will  you,  how  all  through  the  country  Sunday  school  teachers, 
how  all  through  these  towns  Christian  workers,  young  men  and  young 
women,  would  add  to  the  morality  of  their  Hves,  the  seriousness  of  their 
lives,  the  fine  and  high  intention  of  life,  by  actually  having  a  course  of 
study.  Oh,  well,  he  can  get  it  in  the  books  in  the  village  library!  He 
may  get  something  in  the  books  in  the  village  library.  But  there  is  no 
continuity  about  his  studies,  he  has  no  papers  to  prepare,  he  has  none 
of  the  training  which  will  come  by  perpetual  examination.  If  he  goes 
to  the  village  library  and  gets  his  book,  perhaps  the  book  itself  is  not 
written  along  the  line  of  instruction  in  such  a  way  as  a  correspondence 
paper  may  be  written.  And,  indeed,  the  fact  stands  that  our  Sunday 
school  teachers  and  our  Christian  workers  do  not  go,  and  they  do  not 
obtain  these  things.  If  they  do  go,  and  if  they  do  read,  there  is  nothing 
of  the  quickening,  disciplining  influence  which  comes  by  reporting  after 
their  study,  and  reporting  by  way  of  examination. 

You  may  be  perfectly  sure  that  nothing  but  the  highest  class  of  men 
and  women,  nothing  but  the  very  best  teachers,  nothing  but  mastery  in 
pedagogy,  can  ever  supply  these  instruction-papers. 

In  the  matter  of  engineering,  it  is  impossible  to  allow  the  ordinary 
man  to  prepare  what  is  called  an  instruction-paper,  for  it  does  not  in- 
struct.    Three  things  must  be  had,  —  simplicity,  lucidity,  thoroughness. 

Would  it  not  do  something  for  our  whole  religious  life,  would  it  not 
do  something  for  the  whole  realm  of  imagination,  if  it  were  compelled 
to  be  so  simple  that  the  ordinary  man  could  understand  it  ?  I  think  the 
effect  of  an  instruction-paper  on  a  man,  an  instruction-paper  that  is 
simple,  is  a  very  desirable  end.  But  I  think  that  to  have  to  write  an 
instruction-paper,  I  think  for  a  great  organization  like  this  so  to  deal 
with  the  form  and  forces  of  religion,  so  to  deal  with  biblical  literature 
and  with  the  problems  and  their  solution,  that  men  can  understand,  the 
common  people  can  understand,  the  democracy  shall  know,  will  add 
strength,  because  it  will  add,  through  simplicity,  to  all  our  thought  and 
to  all  our  endeavor. 

Your  instruction-paper  must  not  be  less  thorough  than  the  most 


CORRESPONDENCE  INSTRUCTION  377 

technical  book,  but  it  must  he  so  thorough,  and  it  must  be  so  lucid,  that 
the  facts  themselves,  and  the  forces  and  the  laws,  stand  out  clearly. 

This  would  compel  us  to  a  recognition  of  the  fundamental  things, 
this  would  get  us  to  the  realities  of  the  religious  life  and  to  the  facts  which 
have  to  do  with  the  progress  of  Christian  thought. 

With  regard  especially  to  this  work  of  religious  education  by  corre- 
spondence, no  man  has  done  so  much  as  President  Harper  has  to  carry 
forward  by  this  missionary  spirit  the  riches  that  are  in  institutions  and  in 
men,  and  thus  to  effect  a  real  uphft  of  those  who  could  not  get  to  school, 
by  means  of  correspondence  instruction.  Has  it  in  any  way  harmed 
the  standards  of  the  university  ?  Does  it  in  any  way  affect  the  mental 
abihty  or  the  scholarship  of  any,  man  ?     Certainly  not. 

Take  it  in  engineering.  We  say  that  that  is  the  most  difficult  field 
in  which  correspondence  instruction  may  be  prosecuted.  Why?  The 
boy  has  no  laboratory,  the  man  has  no  place  in  which  he  may  work  as  he 
does  in  the  shops,  for  example,  of  the  Massachusetts  Institute  or  the 
Armour  Institute  of  Technology.  Are  you  sure  he  has  no  laboratory  ? 
His  engine-room  is  his  laboratory,  the  place  where  he  works  is  his  labora- 
tory, the  problems  of  the  next  moment  are  problems  to  be  solved  with 
all  seriousness.  His  studies  and  his  daily  labor  co-ordinate  and  operate 
on  one  another. 

Has  your  Smiday  school  teacher  no  laboratory  ?  Here  is  your  Sunday 
school  class.  Has  your  man  in  the  little  town,  who  wants  the  bettering 
of  the  community,  no  laboratory  ?  There  are  the  people  whom  he  wants 
to  help.  Has  any  man  lack  of  a  laboratory  ?  Here  is  his  own  soul,  here 
is  his  own  personality,  here  is  his  own  conduct.  Connect  that  man  at 
once  with  the  realm  of  scholarship,  let  him  know  that  these  things  that 
are  in  the  air  are  practical  realities  that  he  may  have  in  his  life,  and 
you  have  offered  a  new  world  for  that  man. 

My  brother,  the  instant  demand  in  this  America  of  ours  is  to  make 
the  common  people  realize  that  the  best  things  of  life  are  not  owned 
either  by  the  rich  or  by  the  cultured.  Just  the  moment  we  get  men  to 
feel  that  the  finest,  the  most  enrichening  things  of  life,  are  theirs,  there  will 
be  less  anarchy,  there  will  be  less  criticism  of  rich  men.  Men  will  begin 
to  realize  all  over  how  much  more  fair  and  how  much  more  beautiful 
it  is  to  be  in  possession  of  education,  to  have  the  great  realm  of  learning 
open  to  them,  than  it  is  simply  to  possess  money. 

Now,  what  would  some  of  these  subjects  be  ?  In  the  very  first  place, 
I  would  have  a  course  of  correspondence  instruction,  guided  and  directed 
by  men  of  undoubted  capacity  in  pedagogy.  I  would  begin  another 
course  with  psychology.     You  will  be  amazed  to  find  out  how  thirsty 


378  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

people  are  for  knowledge  along  these  lines.  The  Sunday  school  teacher 
is  actually  working  at  the  problems  that  just  a  little  further  up  are 
problems  of  religious  pedagogy,  are  problems  of  psychology. 

I  would  go  further  than  this ;  I  would  have  in  every  church  a  kinder- 
garten. The  kindergarten  is  the  most  Christian  thing  in  the  whole 
realm  of  education.  It  is  the  method  of  dealing  with  the  child  as  Christ 
dealt  with  the  woman  of  Samaria.  It  does  not  make  a  cistern  out  of  a 
child,  filling  it  full  of  rules  and  dates  and  names,  and  then  taking  the  top 
off  and  looking  in  and  having  an  examination.  No,  it  is  a  well  of  water, 
springing  up  into  everlasting  life. 

I  would  have  courses  of  instruction  on  home  religion,  on  the  instru- 
mentalities and  helps  that  would  in  apy  way  develop  the  religion  of  the 
home.  The  religion  of  the  family  ought  to  be  dealt  with  with  as  much 
scientific  accuracy,  and  with  as  much  seriousness  certainly,  as  affairs  of 
zoology  or  botany  or  chemistry.  Will  we  get  people  to  think  that  there 
is  anything  really  serious  and  important  about  the  religion  of  the  home 
if  it  has  not  more  place  in  the  brain,  in  the  intellect,  among  the  studious 
powers  of  the  human  soul  than  it  occupies  to-day  ?     Certainly  not. 

I  would  have  courses  on  temperance.  There  are  thousands  of 
people  that  want  to  work  in  this  direction  who  do  not  know  how.  Scien- 
tific temperance  information  and  training  is  necessary  to  eflSciency  in 
this  work. 

Take  the  field  of  modem  discovery  in  archeology,  and  in  modern 
science,  unapplied  science,  a  revival  of  intellectual  and  serious  religious- 
ness, what  Phillips  Brooks  called  "  the  mind's  love  of  God,"  "  Thou 
shalt  love  the  Lord  thy  God  with  all  thy  mind."  That  will  come  to  us 
just  as  soon  as  we  put  along  with  the  rest  of  our  culture  some  serious 
information  of  this  sort. 

I  would  have  the  common  people  study  Church  history  by  the  cor- 
respondence course,  and  get  to  see  that  the  great  men  and  women  of  the 
Church  are  really  interesting  human  beings;  that  the  men  who  have  done 
the  greatest  things  in  the  world  have  done  them  under  the  influence  of 
religion. 

I  would  have  courses  in  Christian  ethics,  in  sociology,  in  criminology, 
in  philanthropy,  in  charities.  Above  all,  I  would  have  courses  in  civics 
and  in  missions. 

But  around  all,  and  crowning  all,  I  would  have,  central  and  supreme, 
the  life  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  My  fellow-workers,  we  are,  as  I 
believe,  upon  the  edge  of  a  great,  new  Holy  Day.  It  will  be  a  day  of 
revival.  Shall  not  the  ReHgious  Education  Association  see  to  it  that  by 
this  means  the  people  shall  be  reached,  and  that  this  revival,  which  will 
be  a  people's  revival,  shall  be  an  intelligent  revival  also? 


A    SURVEY    OF    THE    CORRESPONDENCE    COURSES    AT 
PRESENT  AVAILABLE  FOR  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

REV.  JESSE  L.  CUNINGGIM 

DIRECTOR  CORRESPONPENCE  SCHOOL,  METHODIST  EPISCOPAL  CfiURCH,  SOUTH, 
NASHVILLE,  TENNESSEE 

With  a  desire  to  make  the  Correspondence  Instruction  Department 
of  the  Religious  Education  Association  of  greater  service  to  the  several 
other  departments,  and  to  the  cause  of  religious  education  in  general, 
the  Executive  Committee  of  the  department  undertook,  some  months 
ago,  to  ascertain  the  number  and  character  of  correspondence  courses 
at  present  available  for  religious  education.  At  a  meeting  of  the  com- 
mittee held  in  Chicago  on  July  21,  1904,  the  secretary,  Mr.  H.  F.  Mal- 
lory,  presented  a  list  of  such  courses  as  far  as  could  at  that  time  be 
ascertained.  The  present  writer  has  embodied  in  this  paper  much  of 
the  material  presented  by  Mr.  Mallory,  and  has  added  such  other  facts 
as  he  has  been  able  to  secure. 

I.  A  few  words  in  regard  to  the  several  institutions  offering  corre- 
spondence courses  will  not  only  be  valuable  in  making  these  institutions 
better  known  to  those  desiring  correspondence  work,  but  will  serve  also, 
in  part,  to  indicate  the  general  character  of  the  courses  offered. 

The  American  Institute  of  Sacred  Literature  was  organized  in  1889, 
growing  out  of  the  Institute  of  Hebrew  which  had  been  organized  in 
188 1  by  Dr.  William  R.  Harper,  at  that  time  Professor  of  Hebrew  in 
the  Baptist  Theological  Seminary  at  Morgan  Park,  Illinois.  The  in- 
stitute is  not  related  to  any  college  or  university,  but  is  under  the  general 
charge  of  the  Coimcil  of  Seventy,  which  is  composed  of  seventy  Biblical 
teachers  in  the  leading  educational  institutions  throughout  the  country. 
The  council,  and  the  institute  under  its  control,  do  not  stand  for  "  any 
theory  of  interpretation,  or  school  of  criticism  or  denomination."  The 
work  of  the  institute  is  confined  to  the  study  of  sacred  literature  and 
related  subjects;  its  attitude  to  the  Scriptures  is  the  historical  attitude, 
and  its  spirit  is  thoroughly  evangelical.  The  work  of  the  institute  is 
intended  for  ministers,  teachers,  and  parents.  A  course  may  be  begun 
at  any  time  and  the  fee  ranges  from  fifty  cents  to  eight  dollars,  according 
to  the  course. 

The  Correspondence  Study  Department  of  the  University  of  Chicago 
was  organized  in  1892,  at  the  time  the  University  was  established,  and  is 
a  regular  department  of  the  university.     It  is  undenominational  in  its 

379 


38o  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

purpose,  and  the  work  offered  is  open  to  all  who  are  properly  qualified. 
The  range  of  courses  offered  covers  a  number  of  the  departments  of 
the  university,  including  the  sciences,  history,  literature,  and  the  like. 
The  courses  available  for  the  more  specific  lines  of  religious  education 
constitute  but  a  small  part  of  the  work  done  by  the  department.  The 
fee  for  each  course  is  sixteen  dollars,  and  in  the  case  of  those  enrolling 
for  the  first  time  a  matriculation  fee  of  five  dollars. 

The  Correspondence  School  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
South,  was  established  in  1902  by  the  General  Conference  of  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church,  South.  It  is  organized  under  the  Genera  Board 
of  Education  of  the  Church,  and  conducted  under  the  direction  of  the 
Biblical  Department  of  Vanderbilt  University.  It  is  thus  denomina- 
tional in  its  organization,  and  intended  especially  for  the  preachers  and 
teachers  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  South.  Its  advantages, 
however,  are  open  to  all  who  may  desire  to  use  them.  Its  work  at  present 
is  confined  to  Biblical  and  theological  lines,  and  the  fee  for  a  year's 
course  is  ten  dollars. 

The  Correspondence  Department  of  the  Moody  Bible  Institute  of 
Chicago  was  established  in  1899  as  a  department  of  the  Moody  Bible 
Institute.  It  has  the  same  general  purpose  and  seeks  to  do  the  same 
character  of  work  as  that  done  by  the  Moody  Institute.  The  school 
is  undenominational,  and  its  work  is  intended  for  all  whose  obligations 
tie  them  to  their  homes  or  to  their  present  positions.  It  is  entirely 
theological  and  Biblical  in  its  character.  The  fee  is  five  dollars  for 
each  course. 

The  Scofield  Bible  Correspondence  Course  was  organized  seventeen 
years  ago,  for  those  desiring  to  study  the  Bible.  It  is  not  connected  with 
a  university  or  school  of  any  kind,  but  is  a  purely  private  enterprise. 
There  is  but  one  course,  and  all  the  students  are  under  the  personal 
supervision  of  Dr.  Scofield.     The  cost  of  the  course  is  ten  dollars. 

The  Reid  Holiness  Correspondence  School  is  a  new  school,  only 
begun  last  year;  not  related  in  any  way  with  a  school  or  university,  but 
an  individual  undertaking  on  the  part  of  its  president.  Rev.  Isaiah  Reid. 
It  is  for  all  who  are  interested  in  Bible-study,  and  especially  in  the  doctrine 
of  holiness.  The  purpose  of  the  school  is  primarily  to  promote  "  holi- 
ness." The  expenses  for  each  course  include  five  dollars  enrollment 
fee  and  twenty-five  cents  for  each  monthly  examination-paper  sent  in. 

The  Correspondence  School  in  Theology  was  established  in  1891 
by  the  General  Conference  of  Free  Baptists,  and  is  connected,  at  least, 
unofficially,  with  the  Cobb  Divinity  School.  It  is  denominational  and 
is  intended  for  candidates  for  license  and  ordination  in  the  Free  Baptist 


CORRESPONDENCE  COURSES  AT  PRESENT  AVAILABLE    381 

Church  who  camiot  attend  a  divinity  school,  for  preachers,  and  for  lay- 
men. The  course  includes  a  good  part  of  the  work  usually  included 
in  a  theological  seminary.  A  matriculation  fee  of  three  dollars  is 
charged  at  the  beginning,  but  is  credited  on  the  latter  part  of  the  course. 
The  tuition  fee  is  one  dollar  a  month  for  one  lesson  a  week,  and  as  a 
course  requires  eight  months,  the  tuition  fee  for  each  course  amounts 
to  eight  dollars. 

The  Correspondence  School  for  Christian  Workers  has  been  recently 
organized  in  the  interest  of  Christian  Endeavorers  and  other  religious 
workers,  under  the  superintendence  of  Rev.  Francis  E.  Clark,  D.  D., 
and  Amos  R.  Wells.  It  is  undenominational  in  character.  The  fee 
for  each  course  is  from  five  to  seven  dollars,  including  the  cost  of  the 
books  required. 

The  Bible  Normal  Union  was  organized  in  1886  by  the  Sabbath 
School  Board  of  the  United  Brethren  in  Christ.  It  is  intended  for  Sun- 
day school  teachers  and  others  who  desire  to  study  the  Bible.  The  aim 
is  to  make  it  a  correspondence  school  for  the  study  of  the  Bible  and 
methods  of  teaching  it.  A  course,  including  the  books  for  required  read- 
ing, costs  four  dollars  and  eighty-five  cents. 

The  non-resident  courses  of  the  Iowa  Christian  College  are  connected 
directly  with  the  Iowa  Christian  College.  It  is  a  denominational  school, 
but  the  work  is  open  to  all  who  desire  to  enter  it.  The  fees  are  twelve 
dollars  or  twenty-four  dollars  a  course  according  to  the  course,  with 
reduction  if  fees  are  paid  in  advance. 

The  Boston  Correspondence  School  was  organized  in  1882  and  in- 
corperated  in  1889.  It  undertakes  to  furnish  "  instruction  by  mail  in 
any  branch  of  learning";  the  courses  adapted  to  the  uses  of  rehgious 
education  are  therefore  but  a  small  part  of  its  undertaking.  The  courses 
are  five,  ten,  and  twenty-five  dollars,  according  to  the  character  of  the 
course. 

The  Intercontinental  Correspondence  University  was  chartered  by  the 
United  States  Congress  in  1904,  with  authority  "  to  give  and  furnish 
instruction,  by  mail  or  otherwise,  in  any  or  all  branches  of  knowledge, 
in  any  or  all  parts  of  the  world."  The  instruction  furnished  in  religious 
education  is  therefore  but  a  small  portion  of  the  work  of  the  university. 
The  cost  of  a  course  varies  according  to  the  course,  but  twenty-five 
dollars  is  the  fee  for  a  large  number  of  courses.  The  university  is  un- 
denominational, and  is  open  to  every  one. 

The  New  Church  Correspondence  School  was  organized  four  years 
ago,  under  the  direction  of  the  New  Church  Educational  Association, 
which  now  has  its  administrative  headquarters  at  Washington,  D.  C. 


382  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

Its  aim  is  to  give  Sunday  school  teachers  and  parents  a  glance  at  some 
of  the  fundamental  doctrines  of  the  New  Church  (otherwise  called  Swe- 
denborgians).     The  fee  for  a  course  of  study  is  three  dollars. 

II.  How  many  correspondence  courses  are  there  available  for  re- 
ligious education,  and  on  what  subjects?  While  the  number  is  not  so 
large  as  could  be  desired,  still  a  good  beginning  has  been  made.  The 
American  Institute  of  Sacred  Literature  offers  three  different  kinds  of 
courses:  elementary  courses,  professional  reading  courses,  and  cor- 
respondence courses  for  Sunday  school  teachers  and  more  advanced 
students.  There  are  six  of  the  elementary  courses,  all  on  some  phase  of 
Bible-study.  Of  the  reading  courses,  ten  are  studies  in  the  English 
Bible,  one  in  sociology,  one  in  homiletics,  one  in  church  history,  and 
one  in  the  psychology  of  religion.  There  are  twenty-six  correspondence 
courses  for  Sunday  school  teachers  and  more  advanced  students;  and 
of  these  twenty-one  are  in  the  Bible,  its  languages,  literature,  history, 
and  theology;  and  five  have  to  do  more  specifically  with  Sunday  school 
work. 

The  largest  number  of  strictly  correspondence  courses  offered  by  any 
school  are  given  by  the  University  of  Chicago.  On  the  languages,  liter- 
ature, history,  and  theology  of  the  Bible,  it  ofi'ers  twenty-three  courses: 
on  theology  proper,  four;  church  history,  two;  sociology,  ten ;  comparative 
religions,  two;  and  several  courses  in  philosophy  and  psychology,  dealing 
more  or  less  directly  with  the  problems  of  religious  education. 

The  Correspondence  School  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  South, 

offers  ten  courses  in  the  English  Bible  and  New  Testament  Greek,  two 

,  in  theology,  two  in  church  history,  or  in  sociology,  one  in  comparative 

religions,  two  in  practical   theology,  and  four    miscellaneous  courses, 

made  up  of  various  subjects. 

The  Moody  Bible  Institute  has  one  course  in  the  English  Bible,  one 
in  systematic  theology,  and  one  in  practical  theology. 

The  Scofield  Bible  Correspondence  Course  comprises  but  one 
course,  divided  into  seven  sections,  as  follows:  Section  I.  The  Scriptures; 
Section  II.  The  Study  of  the  Scriptures;  Section  III.  The  Great  Words 
of  the  Scriptures;  Section  IV.  God,  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Spirit; 
Section  V.  The  Saints;  Section  VI.  The  Service  of  the  Saints;  Section 
VII.  The  Future. 

By  the  Reid  Holiness  School  three  miscellaneous  courses  are  given, 
partly  Bible-study  and  partly  theological,  the  doctrine  of  holiness  being 
the  main  subject  under  consideration. 

The  Correspondence  School  in  Theology  has  seven  courses  —  two  in 
Bible-study,  two  in  theology,  one  in  church  history,  one  in  practical 
theology,  andone  miscellaneous  (science  and  psychology). 


CORRESPONDENCE  COURSES  AT  PRESENT  AVAILABLE    383 

Five  courses  are  offered  by  the  Correspondence  School  for  Christian 
Workers,  all  of  them  relating  to  the  Sunday  school,  Clfristian  Endeavor, 
and  Missions. 

The  Bible  Normal  Union  offers  five  courses,  four  of  them  on  the 
English  Bible,  and  one  largely  on  the  methods  of  Sunday  school  work. 

The  home-study  courses  of  the  Iowa  Christian  College  are  two, — one 
entitled  "  The  Comprehensive  Bible  Course,  covering  the  Bible,  her- 
meneutics,  Christian  evidences,  Bible  geography,  etc.,  leading  to  a 
diploma  and  degree,  Master  of  Ancient  Literature";  the  other  a  Busy 
People's  Course,  not  so  extended  as  the  former. 

"  The  universal  scope  of  the  instructional  work  "  of  the  Boston  Cor- 
respondence School,  to  quote  the  words  of  the  dean,  "  precludes  the 
possibility  of  a  catalogue."  It  has  been  impossible,  therefore,  to  ascertain 
the  number  of  courses  available  for  rehgious  education.  The  letter- 
head, however,  names  courses  in  theology,  in  New  Testament  Greek,  in 
the  English  Bible,  and  in  the  conference  studies  of  the  Methodist  Episco- 
pal Church. 

The  Intercontinental  Correspondence  University  offers  courses  in 
Hebrew,  Greek,  Church  history,  pastoral  theology,  English  Bible, 
comparative  religions,  and  other  subjects,  but  the  number  of  courses 
cannot  be  stated.  The  advertisement  says,  "  We  teach  everything  teach- 
able." 

The  New  Church  Correspondence  School  is  at  present  conducting 
two  courses,  both  dealing  with  the  distinctive  doctrines  of  Swedenbor- 
gianism. 

III.  The  character  of  the  instruction  in  the  several  courses  named 
above  can  be  presented  only  in  part.  It  is  possible  to  note  only  a  few 
of  the  characteristics  which  are  considered  most  essential  to  good  cor- 
respondence work. 

The  courses  offered  by  the  American  Institute  of  Sacred  Literature, 
with  the  exception  of  the  elementary  and  professional  reading  courses 
provide  for  progressive  lessons,  written  recitations,  one  each  week,  and 
personal  instruction,  including  suggestions  as  well  as  corrections.  One 
year  more  or  less,  according  to  the  course,  is  allowed  as  a  time  limit  in 
which  to  complete  the  work,  and  for  each  course  completed  a 
certificate  is  awarded,  but  no  diploma  or  degree  is  given. 

Two  kinds  of  correspondence  courses  are  offered  by  the  University 
of  Chicago,  formal  and  informal.  The  informal  courses  are  designed 
for  a  special  class  of  students,  and  are  arranged  between  the  instructor 
and  the  student,  according  to  the  student's  particular  needs.  In  the  for- 
mal courses  there  are  progressive  lesson-sheets,  written  recitations,  re- 
quiring two  or  three  hours  of  preparation,  corrections  and  suggestions  by 


384  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

a  personal  instructor,  and  a  final  examination.  The  course  ordinarily 
must  be  completed  in  twelve  months,  but  the  time  may  be  extended 
by  the  payment  of  an  extra  fee.  The  work  is  credited  to  a  degree  from 
the  University  of  Chicago,  one-third  of  the  work  required  for  a  degree 
being  allowed  by  correspondence. 

In  the  courses  offered  by  the  Correspondence  School  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  South,  the  student  is  furnished  with  progressive  lesson- 
sheets  containing  the  assignment  of  a  lesson,  references  to  parallel 
reading,  and  suggestions  for  the  student's  guidance.  He  is  expected  to 
prepare  a  written  recitation  each  week,  which  is  corrected  by  the  in- 
structor and  returned  to  the  student  with  further  suggestions.  One 
year  is  allowed  for  the  completion  of  a  course,  but,  according  to  the 
judgment  of  the  school,  the  time  may  be  extended.  For  each  course 
completed  a  certificate  is  awarded,  and  credit  is  given  for  the  B.  D. 
degree  from  Vanderbilt  University,  provided  two-thirds  of  the  work 
required  for  the  degree  is  done  in  residence. 

The  instruction-papers  furnished  by  the  Moody  Bible  Institute  are 
printed  in  pamphlets,  containing  from  thirty-two  to  eighty  pages  each. 
These  pamphlets  and  the  English  Bible  are  all  the  books  required. 
Written  lessons  calling  for  six  hours'  study  are  to  be  sent  in  every  two 
weeks,  and  each  lesson  is  corrected  and  returned  to  the  student.  Final 
examinations  are  given  on  the  several  sections  of  each  course,  and  when 
the  course  is  completed,  a  'certificate  of  progress  is  granted,  which  is 
accepted  in  the  bible  department  of  the  institute,  as  qualifying  in  part 
(to  what  extent  is  not  stated)  for  the  regular  diploma.  Great  emphasis 
is  laid  upon  prayer  as  a  necessary  part  of  the  work. 

In  the  Scofield  Correspondence  Course  there  are  printed  pamphlets 
containing  lesson  outlines,  with  full  examinations.  These  are  answered 
and  returned  by  the  students,  and  are  graded  by  the  instructor;  they 
are  not  returned  to  the  student,  unless  special  request  is  made  and  postage 
furnished.  Errors  are  pointed  out  by  letter.  No  fixed  time  limit  is 
placed  on  the  course,  but  when  it  is  completed  satisfactorily,  a  diploma 
is  awarded. 


THE  CLASSIFICATION  OF  CORRESPONDENCE  COURSES, 
AND   THE  CRITERIA  BY  WTIICH  SUCH  CLASSIFI- 
CATION IS  TO  BE  MADE 

MISS  GEORGIA  L.  CHAMBERLIN 

EXECUTIVE  SECRETARY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  INSTITUTE  OF  SACRED  LITERATURE, 

CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS 

It  is  clear  that  at  present  great  confusion  exists  in  the  department 
of  education  which  may  be  designated  correspondence  instruction, 
SO  far  as  it  touches  subjects  dealing  with  religion,  the  Bible,  etc.  This 
confusion  is  found  (i)  in  the  motives  upon  which  the  courses  are  of- 
fered and  (2)  in  the  minds  of  those  desiring  instruction,  yet  not  know- 
ing what  they  ought  to  have,  or  which,  from  the  many  courses  offered, 
would  furnish  the  desired  knowledge. 

Practically,  the  only  means  of  getting  at  these  courses  is  through 
advertisements,  and  a  "  correspondence  course,"  so  termed  in  ad- 
vertisements, may  mean,  on  the  one  extreme,  a  printed  list  of  ques- 
tions on  some  topic,  followed  by  a  printed  hst  of  answers,  or  at  the 
other  extreme  it  may  represent  the  closest  relationship  between  a  Uv- 
ing  teacher  and  pupil,  involving  the  assignment  of  lessons,  the  weekly 
or  fortnightly  recitation,  and  the  careful  criticism  of  this  recitation, 
the  work  being  recognized  by  some  well-established  educational  in- 
stitution. It  may  also  mean  any  degree  of  personal  or  institutional 
instruction  between  these  two  extremes,  and  the  prospective  student 
loses  much  valuable  time  in  his  search  for  the  right  thing,  and  perhaps 
finally  makes  his  choice  on  a  commercial  or  other  unworthy  basis. 
He  cannot  even  be  sure  that  the  results  which  he  will  receive  will  be 
in  proportion  to  the  amount  which  he  pays,  as  in  the  mercantile  world, 
for  some  of  the  worst  educational  work  in  this  direction  lies  behind 
an  extravagant  fee.  Clearly,  then,  one  thing  to  be  desired  is,  such  a 
method  of  announcing  courses  that  the  student  will,  from  the  announce- 
ment, understand  something  of  the  character  of  the  work. 

In  the  field  of  secular  education  there  is  an  established  nomenclature 
which  is  tolerably  clear  to  all  the  world.  We  are  coming  to  under- 
stand that  it  is  better  to  call  a  small  college  doing  college  work  a  col- 
lege, rather  than  a  university,  and  a  school  doing  work  of  high  school 
grade  feels  that  the  name  of  academy  is  more  appropriate  than  that 
of  college.     Why  can  we  not  insist  upon  as  clear  a  definition  of  terms 

38s 


386  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

by  those  offering  correspondence  instruction,  so  that  the  designation 
itself  will  characterize  the  course? 

We  cannot  adopt  the  nomenclature  of  secular  education,  because 
in  the  region  of  mathematics,  science,  or  philosophy  the  subject  itself 
frequently  indicates  its  position  in  relation  to  a  curriculum,  certain 
subjects  belonging  only  to  secondary  education  and  certain  subjects 
to  college  work. 

In  the  field  of  correspondence  instruction  in  rehgious  education,  we 
are  dealing  entirely  with  the  adult  student,  and  with  a  limited  number 
of  subjects  (the  Bible,  ethics,  social  science,  etc.)  which  must  be  pre- 
sented in  various  forms  and  grades  adaptable  to  different  classes  of 
persons.  The  character  of  the  work  and  the  point  of  view  from  which 
it  is  presented  must  be  the  basis  for  any  standard  nomenclature  which 
shall  be  recognized  by  all  institutions  offering  correspondence  courses. 
What  is  demanded  of  the  student  ?  What  is  contributed  by  the  teacher  ? 
And  for  what  class  of  students  is  the  course  intended  ?  —  are  the  matters 
upon  which  the  student  desires  definite  information. 

Would  it  not  be  legitimate  to  establish  the  principle  that  anything 
called  a  correspondence  course  should  involve  three  elements: 

(fl)  The  assignment  of  a  definite  task ; 

{h)  The  written  recitation  or  report  upon  that  task; 

(c)  The  personal  criticism  of  that  recitation  by  a  living  teacher. 

To  the  numerous  non-resident  courses  in  which  the  work  consists 
of  the  study  of  the  Bible  or  a  text-book  by  means  of  a  printed  syllabus 
or  guide,  where  no  personal  criticism  of  the  examination-paper  is 
expected,  and  no  personal  communications  concerning  it  pass  between 
the  instructor  and  the  student,  can  we  not  assign  another  name,  that 
of  Study  Courses,  prefacing  this  term,  possibly,  by  the  word  "non- 
resident," or  perhaps,  less  technically,  "  home  study  "? 

Yet  another  designation  is  needed  for  courses  in  which  the  in- 
struction consists  of  the  recommendation  of  a  list  of  books  for  reading 
upon  some  subject,  and  the  work  of  the  student  involves  the  attain- 
ment of  no  necessary  standard  in  reporting  upon  this  reading.  What 
more  natural  term  for  such  work  can  there  be  than,  simply,  Reading 
Courses  ? 

All  these  various  classes  of  work  each  fulfilling  a  special  and  im- 
portant function,  might  perhaps  be  grouped  under  the  general  title. 
Non-resident  Instruction : 

(i)  By  correspondence  courses; 

(2)  By  study  courses; 

(3)  By  reading  courses. 


THE  CLASSIFICATION  OF  CORRESPONDENCE  COURSES    387 

Here  is  a  classification  which  is  clear  and  definite,  and  which  would 
soon  become  self-explanatory. 

There  is  a  clear  ground,  also,  for  classification  of  courses  on  the 
basis  of  their  intention.  There  is  economy  of  time  for  the  teacher- 
student  in  following  a  course  of  study,  in  the  life  of  Christ,  for  instance, 
which  has  been  prepared  with  the  teacher  rather  than  the  mere  seeker 
for  mformation  in  mind.  Pedagogical  suggestions  and  illustrations 
of  great  value  may  be  introduced  without  in  any  way  disturbing  the 
informational  character  of  the  course.  Just  so  the  minister  needs  to 
know  that  the  course  which  he  chooses  takes  into  account  his  previous 
study  and  the  necessity  of  his  familiarity  with  all  sides  of  his  subject. 

As  a  practical  basis  of  distinction  here,  we  shall  have,  therefore, 
under  each  of  our  previous  classes  of  work,  correspondence  courses, 
study  courses,  reading  courses,  work  for  professional  and  for  non- 
professional students. 

Regular  correspondence  courses  in  biblical  history,  literature,  peda- 
gogy, or  ethics  should  be  conducted  either  by  institutions  of  recognized 
standing,  having  well-equipped  departments  for  resident  work  in  these 
subjects  and  endovraient  sufficient  to  carry  the  correspondence  in- 
struction, or  by  organizations  specially  endowed  for  this  purpose.  There 
is  need  for  expenditure  of  all  and  more  than  can  be  secured  in  tuition 
fees,  in  a  campaign  of  education  which  shall  bring  in  students  and 
arouse  a  wider  interest  in  the  subject  of  religious  education. 

The  third  and  last  standard  which  I  wish  to  suggest  rests  upon 
the  proper  estimate  of  the  ability  of  possible  students.  It  has  been 
the  custom  of  many  educators  in  the  religious  field  to  prepare  courses 
in  Sunday  school  teacher-training,  and  in  Bible-study  and  other  lines 
of  religious  education,  which,  in  the  world  of  secular  education,  would 
be  considered  "  A,  B,  C  "  courses.  We  should  remember  that  we 
are  dealing  with  adult  students,  many  of  whom  are  at  least  high  school 
graduates,  and  large  numbers  of  whom  are  active  in  literary  clubs. 
Because  we  have  offered  these  people  training  courses  which  would 
in  no  sense  demand  the  use  of  their  best  intellectual  effort,  they  and 
the  pubhc  have  come  to  feel  that  the  best  intellectual  effort  is  not 
necessary  in  teaching  the  Bible.  Courses  for  teachers,  at  least,  should 
not  be  below  the  high  school  grade  of  work  done  in  the  history  and 
literature  of  other  nations  than  the  Hebrews.  By  establishing  such 
a  standard,  the  poorer  teachers  would  be  weeded  out  gradually,  and 
the  profession  of  Sunday  school  teaching  would  come  to  have  a  recog- 
nized standing.  It  is  only  the  better  and  wiser  element  in  any  commu- 
nity who  will  pay  for  and  follow  out  a  biblical  course  by  correspondence. 


388  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

Then  why  not  make  that  course  such  as  to  command  the  respect  and 
interest  of  this  class  of  students  ? 

Great  efforts  have  been  made  to  mterest  young  people  in  corre- 
spondence courses,  and  the  possibilities  in  this  field  were  so  large  that 
the  result  has  been  a  tendency  to  pull  all  correspondence  instruction 
down  to  the  level  of  the  young  people  who  wish  to  give  only  a  few 
moments  a  day  to  the  work  and  have  no  serious  or  lasting  purpose  in  it. 
The  work  for  this  class  of  students  may  well  be  done  in  the  field,  not 
of  correspondence  instruction,  but  of  non-resident  study  and  reading 
courses. 

It  is  also  true  that  the  study  and  reading  courses  which  have  been 
outlined  for  young  people  and  for  popular  use  have  in  many  cases 
been  prepared  by  persons  who  understood  neither  the  importance  of 
proper  pedagogical  method,  nor  of  the  proper  selection  of  material, 
but  I  think  that  it  will  be  acknowledged  by  those  who  have  examined 
what  may  be  termed  the  reading  and  study  courses  of  some  of  the 
larger  organizations,  that  much  better  work  has  been  done  in  this  de- 
partment than  in  what  may  be  more  strictly  termed  correspondence 
instruction.  Here  will  be  found  the  most  excellent  courses  of  the 
Young  Men's  Christian  Association,  the  Epworth  League,  the  Baptist 
Christian  Culture  courses,  and  the  Outline  Study  courses  of  the 
American  Institute  of  Sacred  Literature,  and  others  too  numerous 
to  mention.  It  is  in  the  grade  above  this,  and  in  the  courses  intended 
for  those  who  wish  to  teach,  that  the  standard  needs  to  be  made  much 
higher. 

It  will  be  admitted  that  we  have  mentioned  three  desirable  points 
upon  which  should  be  established  standards  for  correspondence  work 
in  religious  education,  viz.:  i.  A  nomenclature  which  shall  adequately 
define  to  the  public;  2.  The  confinement  of  the  privilege  of  offering 
courses  to  institutions  of  recognized  educational  standing  and  re- 
sources; and  3.  The  lifting  of  the  grade  of  work  offered  to  such  a  place 
as  will  command  the  respect  of  the  constituency  for  which  it  is  intended. 
What  steps  can  be  taken  by  the  Religious  Education  Association  toward 
bringing  about  the  recognition  of  these  standards  ?  This  is  a  problem 
to  be  solved,  but  it  would  seem  that  one  element  in  the  solution  would 
be  the  use  of  the  same  courses  by  different  organizations.  When  one 
good  course  has  been  prepared  upon  a  subject  at  great  expense  and 
labor,  why  is  it  not  feasible  for  other  institutions  to  make  an  arrange- 
ment by  which  they  may  avail  themselves  of  the  same  course?  The 
use  in  common  of  both  courses  and  instructors  might  be  arranged  by 
several  institutions. 


THE  CLASSIFICATION  OF  CORRESPONDENCE  COURSES    389 

At  all  events,  should  there  not  be  a  board  or  committee  of  the  Re- 
ligious Education  Association  which  should  pronounce  upon  corre- 
spondence courses,  upon  reading  courses,  and  upon  study  courses,  and 
give  the  stamp  of  its  approval  or  disapproval  in  each  case,  aiming 
to  bring  those  which  do  not  meet  the  standards  up  to  them,  and  to 
direct  and  concentrate  attention  on  those  which  have  borne  the  test 
of  examination  ?  The  valuable  investigations  presented  in  Mr.  Cuning- 
gim's  paper  would  give  the  basis  for  the  work  of  such  a  board  or  com- 
mittee. 

And  what  are  the  questions  which  this  board  or  committee  should 
ask? 

1.  Is  the  course  under  consideration  well  worked  out  in  method? 

2.  Is  the  material  for  study  the  best  for  its  purpose? 

3.  To  what  class  (professional,  non-professional,  correspondence, 
study,  reading)  does  it  belong? 

4.  Does  it  meet  a  need  in  the  field  of  religious  education  ? 

5.  If  a  correspondence  course,  will  an  expert  instructor  be  pro- 
vided ? 

It  would  not  be  the  province  of  such  a  committee  to  distinguish 
between  schools  of  thought  as  such.  The  most  conservative  as  well  as 
the  most  liberal  parties  should  have  the  privilege  of  presenting  courses 
for  examination,  and  the  decision  of  the  association  should  be  made 
on  the  basis  of  the  five  questions  suggested. 


XVI.    SUMMER  ASSEMBLIES 


SUMMER  SUNDAY  SCHOOL  INSTITUTES 
REV.  E.  MORRIS  FERGUSSON 

TRENTON,  NEW  JERSEY 

In  this  discussion  of  the  summer  institute  as  a  means  of  Sunday 
school  progress,  let  us  first  consider  the  problem  of  reforming  the  Sun- 
day school  teaching  force.  Thousands  of  individual  teachers  there 
are,  of  course,  who  might  well,  for  that  matter,  consider  the  problem 
of  reforming  us;  but  that  the  teachers  as  a  body  need  Hfting  to  a  higher 
pedagogic  level,  hardly  needs  argument. 

The  first  —  that  is,  the  most  obvious  —  need  of  the  teachers  is 
information  and  mental  drill.  They  are  ignorant  of  so  many  things, — 
the  Bible,  pedagogy,  child  psychology,  and  so  on.  The  first,  because 
the  simplest  step  in  the  helping  of  the  teachers,  therefore,  has  always 
been  to  teach  them.  Normal  and  teacher-training  manuals  have  been 
multiplied  for  more  than  a  generation,  and  through  the  use  of  them 
great  good  has  undoubtedly  been  wrought.  But  they  have  all  been 
projected  upon  the  assumption  that  we  —  the  writers,  advocates,  and 
teachers  of  these  manuals  —  know  what  the  teachers  need  to  learn ;  and 
that  is  a  good  deal  to  assume,  as  some  pastors  are  in  position  to  testify. 
When  you  undertake  to  soimd  the  depths  of  some  teachers'  Bible  ig- 
norance, it  is  well  to  be  provided  with  an  extra  line.  Yet  are  we  not 
told  to  begin  with  the  known  before  proceeding  to  the  unknown? 
Most,  if  not  all,  of  the  current  plans  for  reforming  the  teachers  through 
normal  classes  of  teachers  conducted  locally  on  the  basis  of  a  text-book, 
are  convicted  at  least  of  inadequacy,  out  of  the  very  pages  they  essay 
to  teach. 

Text-book  instruction,  therefore,  must  be  supplemented  by  con- 
ference instruction,  such  as  is  gained  in  an  institute  or  a  convention, 
where  many  teachers  from  different  schools  come  together.  Here  a 
wise  instructor,  by  various  devices  of  questioning,  can  draw  out  enough 
of  the  teachers'  individualities,  and  can  so  follow  past  experiences  in 
the  handling  of  like  conferences,  as  to  make  a  fairly  close  joint  between 
the  pupil's  knowledge  and  the  new  truth  the  leader  has  to  teach. 

Prior  to  the  need  for  teaching  is  the  need  for  awakening.  Our 
teachers,  most  of  them,  know  far  more  than  they  have  the  heart  to 
teach.     Their  conception  of  the  teacher's  call  of  God,  of  the  divine 

390 


SUMMER  SUNDAY  SCHOOL  INSTITUTES  391 

verity  and  significance  of  their  message  to  their  pupils,  and  of  the 
personal  sacrifice  and  consecration  without  which  pedagogical  formulas 
are  Hamlet  un-Hamleted,  —  these  conceptions  need  to  be  remade 
in  many  a  soul  that  now  contentedly  plods  on  and  deems  its  God- 
appointed  duty  fully  done.  What  class,  meeting  for  half  an  hour  after 
prayer-meeting,  will  stir  to  this  awakening?  What,  but  the  mingling 
with  a  great  company,  each  of  whom  has  made  sacrifices  to  come  and 
more  sacrifices  to  stay,  and  among  whom  are  kindred  spirits  whose 
friendship,  newly  formed,  shall  spur  and  encourage  with  recital  of 
like  difiiculties  more  bravely  met  and  more  gloriously  overcome? 
And  if,  before  this  company,  comes  one  and  another  whom  all  honor 
as  teacher  without  peer,  shall  not  the  life-power  of  such  a  speaker  be 
used  of  the  Spirit  to  reach  and  transform  dull  lives  and  dead  ministries 
with  a  power  that  is  not  m  books  and  methods  ? 

The  summer  Sunday  school  institute  has  proved  itself  by  far  the 
most  potent  force  thus  far  developed  for  the  spread  of  the  idea  of  grade 
classification  among  the  Sunday  schools  and  the  teachers.  Beginning 
with  the  primary  teachers,  already  so  classified,  it  has  now  developed, 
or  powerfully  aided  in  developing,  two  other  classifications,  the  junior 
teachers  above  the  primary  department  and  the  beginners'  or  kinder- 
garten-grade teachers  below,  and  is  now  struggling  with  the  much 
more  complex  task  of  segregating  the  intermediate  teachers  of  the 
next  grade  above,  representing  the  early  adolescent  pupils.  Beginning 
with  the  representatives  of  the  large  and  fairly  well  organized  Sunday 
schools  of  the  cities  and  towns,  its  influence  on  this  line  is  steadily 
reaching  the  small  schools  of  the  country,  where  grade  work  is  just  as 
needful,  but  where  methods,  appliances,  and  plans  must  be  modified 
to  so  much  greater  extent  by  the  personal  factor  and  the  limitations  of 
architecture  and  resource. 

As  fast  as  the  classifying  or  placmg  of  the  Sunday  school  teacher 
is  accomplished  or  with  any  definiteness  projected,  there  is  a  call  for 
leaders,  and  there  begins  to  be  created  a  supply  of  leaders  able  to  respond 
to  the  call.  The  grading  of  the  Sunday  school  calls  for  grade  leader- 
ship; and  the  leader  is  almost  always  within  reach,  though  frequently 
not  in  view.  Your  future  junior  department  superintendent,  who 
five  years  hence  will  be  at  the  head  of  a  well-drilled  force  of  junior 
teachers,  and  giving  to  your  boys  and  girls  of  nine  to  twelve  a  rea- 
sonably complete  and  correlated  Bible  and  church  education  for  the 
three  or  four  years  of  that  period,  may  now  be  teaching  a  class  of  senior 
girls,  or  be  serving  as  assistant  in  the  primary  department.  Find  her, 
and  send  her  to  one  of  the  summer  institutes  now  being  multiplied  in 


392  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

the  land.  Put  her  in  touch  with  the  leaders  who  have  found  one  an- 
other, and  whose  eager  desire  to  pass  on  the  good  they  know  waits  only 
your  co-operation  in  getting  her  within  their  reach.  Do  not  expect  her 
to  fit  herself  for  this  high,  self-sacrificing  and  permanent  service  at 
her  own  charges,  but  pay  her  way  out  of  your  school  funds,  and  add 
the  needed  money  for  such  books  and  printed  tools  as  the  literature- 
counter  of  the  school  will  show  and  the  instructors  recommend.  Then, 
when  she  returns,  give  her  a  chance,  and  she  will  not  be  disobedient 
to  her  heavenly  vision.  And  when  the  officers  of  your  state,  county, 
district,  or  city  Sunday  school  organization  recognize  in  her  the  helper 
they  need  in  extending  these  new  ideas  and  this  new  spirit  to  less  fa- 
vored workers  in  their  field,  encourage  her  to  respond,  knowing  that 
most  of  what  she  has  learned  was  taught  her  by  those  who  gave  their 
services  then  as  freely  as  she  is  asked  to  give  hers  now. 

But  the  institute  lasts  but  for  a  week.  You  can  get  busy  mothers, 
and  teachers,  and  housekeepers,  with  a  few  preachers  and  one  or  two 
business  men,  to  come  together  at  an  attractive  watering-place  for  a 
week;  and  while  they  are  there,  if  they  are  the  real  people  and  not  a 
make-beheve  school  recruited  from  the  locality  by  posters  and  pulpit 
notices,  you  can  hold  them  tight  in  any  weather  to  a  programme  that 
covers  two  full  sessions  of  every  day.  We  have  sent  home  many  a 
student  from  our  seductive  seashore  spot  who  never  saw  salt  water 
till  after  five  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  except  through  the  auditorium 
windows.  But  after  the  week,  what  then?  The  management  of  the 
institute  must  face  this  problem,  and  the  answer  involves  the  next 
need  of  the  teacher  —  organization.  Teach  them  how  to  form  local 
unions,  meeting  weekly  in  their  own  town,  give  them  materials,  pro- 
grammes, courses  of  study;  send  an  expert  to  help  them  to  organize, 
and  to  speak  at  their  annual  institute;  and,  in  return,  invite  their  union 
representative  to  sit  with  you  in  planning  for  next  year's  summer 
school  sessions,  and  ask  their  help  in  securing  a  goodly  number  of 
new  students  therefor.  In  this  reciprocity  of  service  is  the  promise 
of  permanent  life,  and  of  the  ever- widening  extension  of  the  ideas  for 
which  the  organization  stands. 

It  remains  to  add  a  few  suggestions  to  those  who  feel  moved  to 
put  these  recommendations  into  practice.  But  first  let  us  face  the 
question  which  some  are  already  formulating:  Is  not  this  enterprise 
very  much  the  same  as  the  Chautauqua  Assembly  movement,  and  does 
not  at  least  the  Bible-teaching  and  Sunday  school  department  of  such 
an  assembly  do  practically  the  same  good  as  that  for  which  you  aim? 
No;  for  two  principal  reasons:     (i)  It  does  not  reach  the  people  we 


SUMMER  SUNDAY  SCHOOL  INSTITUTES  393 

are  after,  because  its  season's  work  is  spread  out,  an  hour  or  two  a 
day,  and  to  get  it  all  you  must  stay  longer  than  our  people  can  afford. 
The  work  of  the  assembly  is  confessedly  vacation  work;  it  provides 
a  good  time,  with  instruction  sandwiched  in.  No  Sunday  school 
would  pay  the  expenses  of  from  one  to  six  of  its  teachers  for  three  or 
four  weeks  at  such  a  place,  nor  would  the  teachers  accept  such  a  bounty. 
Our  work  is  crowded  into  one  busy  week;  and  while  on  the  ground 
the  student  gets  all  the  work  his  powers  can  stand.  If  he  wants  a 
vacation,  he  stays  another  week  to  "  rest  up,"  but  he  does  that  at  his 
own  charges.  Moreover,  (2)  while  it  is  conceivable  that  the  formal 
instruction  of  an  assembly  class  might  equal  or  exceed  that  of  a  week- 
long  institute,  the  life-imparting  power  of  the  crowded  session  is  lack- 
ing; nor  can  public  opinion  be  evoked  or  new  vision  of  truth  be  crys- 
tallized into  resolutions  and  plans  of  action,  as  has  repeatedly  occurred 
at  the  Asbury  Park  School.  We  are  a  club  as  well  as  a  school;  we 
evolve  truth  as  well  as  teach  it;  we  criticise  and  reshape  our  own 
last  year's  plans,  in  the  light  of  experience  reported  and  discussed. 
The  assembly  class  has  its  large  and  important  functions,  but  it  is  not 
a  summer  Sunday  school  institute,  and  cannot  take  the  place  of  that 
distinct  instrumentaHty. 

A  successful  summer  Sunday  school  institute  must  have : 

1.  A  field.  It  must  be  strategically  placed,  and  must  stand  for 
the  needs  of  the  Sunday  school  teachers  in  a  fairly  well-marked  area, 
while  welcoming  students  from  any  quarter. 

2.  A  home,  —  some  spot  that  shall  seem  attractive  and  comfortable 
in  hot  weather,  and  to  which  husbands  and  friends  may  also  come 
without  seeming  peculiar.  A  proper  building,  secured  on  generous 
terms,  is  of  course  also  essential. 

3.  A  backer,  —  some  responsible  organization  already  working 
for  the  teachers,  and  in  a  position  to  guarantee  and  partly  raise  the 
four  or  five  hundred  dollars  that  a  good  school  of  this  sort  will  cost. 
This  organization  is  usually  the  state  Sunday  school  association;  but 
the  Chautauqua  Assembly  ran  such  a  school  several  year  ago,  and  the 
University  of  West  Virginia  had  one  as  part  of  its  regular  summer 
school  work  last  year. 

4.  A  circle  of  progressive  teachers,  from  among  whom  the  needed 
workers  can  be  drawn,  and  whose  combined  ideas  and  convictions  will 
constitute  the  capital  of  public  opinion  needed  to  begin  business  on. 
This  condition  it  indispensable.  If  lacking  in  any  field,  it  would 
probably  be  wiser  to  take  preliminary  steps  to  develop  such  a  circle, 
even  if  that  should  mean  the  postponing  of  the  enterprise  for  two  or 


394  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

three  years.     The  school  must  be  a  living  organization,  not  a  dead 
construction. 

5.  A  committee  of  management,  which  should  as  far  as  possible 
actually  represent  the  teachers  for  whom  provision  is  to  be  made. 
If  the  backers  proceed  on  the  assumption  that  they  know  what  the 
teachers  need,  and  then  draft  their  programme  and  hire  their  speakers, 
their  failure  is  foredoomed.  Only  the  teachers  know  what  the  teachers 
need,  and  they  do  not  know  as  much  now  as  they  will  know  when  the 
sessions  are  over.  The  members  of  this  committee  will  naturally 
become  the  section  leaders  and  platform  helpers  at  the  school,  carrying 
out  the  plans  themselves  have  laid. 

6.  A  free  and  strong  platform.  The  platform  must  be  free  from 
political  "  pulls "  and  appointments  to  please,  from  ax-grinding 
business,  from  addresses  that  are  run  in  because  the  speakers  happen 
to  be  available,  and  from  the  dictation  or  control  of  the  backing  or- 
ganization or  any  other  outside  power.  If  the  teachers  are  to  grow, 
their  thoughts  must  have  room  to  recrystallize  in.  The  speakers  must 
be  strong  in  power  to  help.  At  least  one  should  be  an  expert  from 
outside  the  ordinary  circle  of  Sunday  school  workers,  who  can  bring 
in  some  new  and  formative  line  of  experience  and  thought.  Others 
should  be  such  as  can  get  near  to  the  actual  teachers  and  lift  them  to 
new  effort. 

7.  Extensive  advertising,  supplemented  by  aggressive  field-work 
during  the  whole  year  preceding  the  sessions.  Many  of  the  best 
students  will  be  found  and  induced  to  come,  or  their  schools  induced 
to  send  them,  only  through  the  personal  work  of  the  field  secretary  or 
other  friend  of  the  cause.  The  advertising  should  be  directed  more 
to  the  Sunday  schools  and  the  pastors  than  to  the  teachers  themselves, 
though  these  should  be  reached  whenever  possible. 

8.  A  spirit  of  prayer  and  of  reverence  for  the  Word  of  God.  Bible- 
study  should  be  a  leading  line  of  instruction,  and  the  daily  period  of 
devotion  should  be  planned  for  with  special  care.  The  school  must 
stand  for  reverence,  faith,  and  consecration,  or  the  hopes  of  its  founders 
will  be  vain. 


BIBLICAL  INSTRUCTION  AT    THE  SUMMER  ASSEMBLY 
PROFESSOR  HERBERT  L.  WILLETT,  Ph.D. 

THE   UNIVERSITY  OF   CHICAGO,  CHICAGO,   ILLINOIS 

Among  the  instruments  of  public  instruction  lying  beyond  the 
limits  of  formal  academic  organization,  none  is  proving  more  effective 
than  the  summer  assembly.  Within  a  comparatively  brief  period 
this  movement  has  taken  an  important,  apparently  permanent,  position 
in  the  list  of  educational  forces.  Its  appeal  is  strong.  To  a  people 
chiefly  urban  in  character,  and  harried  with  the  rush  of  city  life,  it 
offers  the  privilege  of  a  retreat  to  nature,  a  return  to  simpler  conditions 
of  living,  and  at  the  same  time  the  opportunity  to  pursue  some  forms 
of  study  which  will  afford  intellectual  refreshment  and  mental  discipline. 

In  such  a  system  of  instruction  the  Bible  has  a  legitimate  and  com- 
manding position.  It  holds  easily  the  chief  place  in  literature.  Its 
pages  are  a  mine  of  precious  things  to  be  searched  by  seekers  after 
hidden  treasures.  The  Book  of  Job  is  the  unapproached  masterpiece 
among  the  world's  greatest  poems.  The  Book  of  Psalms  contains  the 
most  perfect  lyrics  ever  penned.  The  Proverbs  are  unmatched  in  per- 
fection of  form  and  depth  of  meaning,  "  jewels  five  words  long,  that 
on  the  stretched  forefinger  of  all  time  sparkle  forever."  The  stories 
of  the  Bible  are  more  thrilling  than  the  pages  of  romance.  The  oratory 
of  Moses,  Isaiah,  Peter,  and  Paul,  not  to  mention  the  Man  of  Nazareth, 
suffers  in  no  degree  by  comparison  with  the  classic  utterances  of  an- 
cient or  modern  days.  And  the  lives  here  portrayed  are  those  of  the 
most  outstanding  men  in  history,  a  galaxy  of  stars  that  circle  forever 
about  the  most  radiant  Life  of  the  ages,  the  Light  that  lighteth  every 
man  that  cometh  into  the  world. 

Such  a  book  ought  not  to  require  any  plea  in  its  behalf  to  be  ad- 
mitted to  an  outstanding  place  in  the  programme  of  the  summer  assem- 
bly,which  promises  to  be,  in  important  respects,  the  popular  university 
of  the  future.  If  education  is  to  include,  as  all  authorities  are  insisting 
to-day,  the  elements  of  ethical  and  religious  discipline,  certainly  a  means 
so  admirable  as  the  Bible  must  find  instant  welcome,  and  its  neglect 
cannot  longer  be  permitted  in  any  adequate  plan  of  study.  It  is  the 
function  of  the  instruments  of  education,  among  which  the  summer 
assembly  is  assuredly  included,  to  provide  those  elements  of  instruction 
which  are  most  required,  the  neglect  of  which  would  endanger  the 
public  welfare, 

395 


396  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

A  renaissance  of  such  study  of  the  Scriptures  is  needed  to-day.  The 
apparatus  is  abundant.  The  materials  are  inexhaustible.  The  pro- 
fessions of  interest  are  constant.  All  that  is  needed  is  that  the  work 
shall  actually  be  done.  The  proofs  that  it  is  not  being  done  to  any 
such  extent  or  with  any  such  devotion  as  the  reports  of  the  Bible  societies 
or  the  superficial  indications  of  Bible-study  organizations  might  at 
first  give  warrant  for  believing,  are  apparent  upon  closer  inspection. 
Family  worship  with  its  accompanying  use  of  the  Scriptures  is  de- 
clining, if  indeed  that  is  not  too  mild  a  statement;  Biblical  instruction 
in  the  Sunday-schools,  even  if  it  approached  the  pedagogical  standard 
of  the  public  school,  which  it  does  not,  could  not  supply  in  the  brief 
periods  of  its  prosecution  the  material  required ;  the  programme  of  public 
education  excludes,  or  all  but  excludes,  biblical  studies  from  the  cur- 
riculum; the  natural  desire  to  keep  up^with  the  literature  of  the  day 
leaves  scant  time  to  the  most  interested  reader  of  the  Bible  to  pursue 
a  line  of  study  to  which  he  is  not  compelled  by  inclination  or  profes- 
sional responsibility. 

The  result  of  this  condition  is  to  be  seen  in  a  disheartening  degree 
of  ignorance  respecting  the  Bible,  on  the  part  of  young  men  and  women 
fully  equipped  in  other  regards;  in  a  certain  traditional  knowledge  of 
the  Bible  possessed  by  many  older  people  in  the  churches,  unrefreshed, 
however,  by  recent  study,  and  therefore  the  most  likely  to  be  jostled 
and  perplexed  by  any  utterances  out  of  strict  harmony  with  settled 
views;  and  in  the  wider  circle  of  the  community,  such  limited  views  of 
Biblical  teaching  as  provide  ground  for  mistaken  beliefs  regarding  the 
Bible,  for  doubt  and  skepticism.  Surely,  there  is  urgent  need  of  an 
actual  and  adequate  acquaintance  with  the  Scriptures,  and  upon  no 
instrument  of  education  does  this  responsibility  fall  more  heavily 
than  upon  the  summer  assembly. 

Among  the  classes  of  people  for  whom  this  provision  ought  to  be 
made  by  the  assembly,  easily  the  first  is  the  ministry.  To  an  mcreas- 
ing  number  of  pastors  the  Chautauqua  idea  offers  the  means  of  rec- 
reation combined  with  study.  BibHcal  knowledge  of  greater  or  less 
degree  may  be  assumed  as  the  possession  of  every  minister;  but  there 
are  few  who  might  not  profit  greatly  by  fresh  and  systematic  study  of 
the  Scriptures,  and  it  is  a  singular  fact  that  those  who  are  best  ac- 
quainted with  the  Bible  are  the  most  eager  to  increase  their  mastery 
of  its  contents. 

The  assembly  has  brought  assistance,  also,  to  the  Sunday  school 
teachers.  Many  of  them  are  aware  of  the  contrast  between  the  trained 
and  skillful  teaching  in  the  day  schools  and  that  with  which  the  Sunday 


BIBLICAL  INSTRUCTION  AT  THE  SUMMER  ASSEMBLY     397 

school  must  too  largely  content  itself;  and  in  response  to  this  urgent 
need  of  improvement  they  are  supplementing  their  Biblical  knowledge  by 
every  means  iii  their  power.  The  least  trained  of  them  know  that  it  is 
not  isolated  Biblical  facts  which  are  to  be  taught,  but  some  compre- 
hensive view  of  the  Bible. 

Still  another  class,  sure  to  be  largely  represented  in  the  personnel 
of  a  summer  assembly,  is  the  teacher  in  the  public  schools.  On  no 
group  does  a  greater  responsibility  rest  in  this  period  of  transition  and 
crisis  than  on  these  instructors  of  youth.  Secularism  is  demanding 
the  elimination  of  all  ethical  and  religious  teaching  in  the  schools. 
Christian  sentiment  and  enlightened  opinion  are  uniting  in  the  view 
that  such  elimination  is  a  peril  too  great  to  be  faced  without  appre- 
hension as  to  the  outcome. 

Time  and  space  fail  as  one  thinks  of  the  college  and  seminary 
students,  of  the  Christian  workers  in  our  own  and  another  organization 
for  social  and  religious  service,  of  the  parents  who  are  slowly  waken- 
ing to  a  sense  of  the  urgent  need  of  religious  instruction  in  the  home 
and  are  looking  wistfully  for  assistance  in  its  provision,  and  of  the 
general  public  of  the  assembly,  composed  of  all  sorts  and  conditions 
of  people,  many  of  whom  are  quite  indifferent  to  the  Bible  and  the 
religious  life,  but  all  of  whom  are  capable  of  some  arousal  and  amend- 
ment. For  all  these  the  assembly  needs  to  provide  in  its  platform  and 
its  classrooms. 

A  word  should  be  spoken  regarding  the  teacher  selected  for  biblical 
instruction  in  the  assembly.  He  should  not  be  one  suggested  by 
mere  convenience,  proximity,  cheapness,  or  friendship.  Too  free- 
quently  one  witnesses  the  spectacle  of  an  assembly  securing  specialists 
for  its  other  departments,  but  leaving  the  biblical  study  in  charge  of 
some  unprepared  and  incompetent  person,  simply  because  he  happens 
to  be  a  preacher  and  can  be  secured  with  little  or  no  expense.  No 
economy  is  so  wasteful,  no  saving  so  expensive,  as  that  which  grudges 
the  employment  of  the  most  skilled  and  competent  Bible  teacher  ob- 
tainable. Three  quaUties  he  should  have  in  marked  degree.  He 
should  know  the  Bible  and  biblical  science  as  it  has  taken  form  in  our 
day.  He  should  understand  the  art  of  teaching,  which  is  of  equal 
importance.  Most  of  all,  he  should  embody  in  himself  the  ideals  of 
the  Bible,  as  one  in  whom  the  Word  has  again  become  flesh;  for  only 
those  who  have  the  mind  of  Christ  can  interpret  the  things  of  Christ. 
Thus  equipped,  the  teacher  will  prove  himself  a  workman  that  needeth, 
not  to  be  ashamed,  handling  aright  the  Word  of  truth. 

Of  the  method  of  Biblical  study  no  extended  outline  is  required.     If 


398  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

there  are  demands,  and  time  permits,  there  should  be  classes  for  the 
study  of  the  biblical  languages.  Astonishing  progress  can  be  made 
in  the  mastery  of  Hebrew  or  New  Testament  Greek  during  the  brief 
period  of  an  assembly,  where  the  student's  attention  is  concentrated 
upon  one  theme.  The  history  of  biblical  times  is  a  subject  of  increas- 
ing importance,  as  the  sources  of  information  regarding  the  peoples 
of  Palestine  and  the  neighboring  lands  grow  ampler  in  our  day.  The 
bearings  of  modem  research  in  biblical  countries  upon  the  knowledge 
of  the  Bible  are  too  vital  to  be  ignored  by  any  well-informed  person. 
The  sealed  places  in  Holy  Writ  are  being  opened  under  the  light  from 
the  monuments.  Then,  too,  the  history  of  the  Bible  as  a  literary 
product  is  a  story  of  fascinating  interest.  The  manner  of  its  origin 
and  growth,  the  conditions  under  which  its  various  parts  took  form, 
the  story  of  the  different  documents  and  versions,  the  development 
of  the  canon,  and  the  work  of  criticism  in  our  own  age,  are  all  phases 
of  a  theme  of  never-failing  interest.  Nor  must  the  study  of  the  Bible 
in  its  component  parts  be  slighted ;  no  knowledge  of  the  whole  can  be 
obtained  that  does  not  emerge  from  a  study  of  all  the  parts.  The  two 
methods  of  biblical  study  which  have  proved  least  profitable  are  the 
attempt  to  gain  a  knowledge  of  the  Book  in  general  by  a  mere  cursory 
reading,  and  on  the  other  hand,  the  overminuteness  of  text-study. 
The  Book  can  be  known  only  through  a  mastery  of  its  divisions,  and 
the  study  of  texts  must  rise  to  the  study  of  contexts.  The  individual 
books  yield  themselves  admirably  to  class-work.  Even  more  profitable 
is  the  consideration  of  the  great  sections  of  biblical  literature,  such  as 
prophecy,  the  legal  writings,  the  wisdom  books,  the  devotional,  episto- 
lary, and  apocalyptical  divisions.  Here  alone  can  a  sound  knowledge 
of  the  progress  and  significance  of  biblical  utterances  be  obtained.  It 
need  hardly  be  added  that  the  study  of  the  Bible  itself  should  be  ac- 
companied by  the  full  use  of  the  introductory  literature  which  has 
become  so  valuable  an  aid  in  our  time.  The  disciplines  of  criticism, 
introduction,  and  exegesis  have  placed  at  the  disposal  of  the  most  casual 
Bible  student  an  apparatus  which  he  is  no  longer  at  liberty  to  ignore. 
This,  so  far  as  opportunity  permits,  must  be  employed  in  the  work  of 
the  summer  assembly. 


THE   SUMMER   ASSEMBLY  AND  THE   MORAL   INSTRUC- 
TION  OF    CHILDREN 

REV.  WILLIAM  BYRON  FORBUSH,  Ph.  D. 

JUNIOR  PASTOR  MADISON  AVENUE  REFORMED  CHURCH,   NEW   YORK   CITY 

My  first  suggestion  as  to  the  relation  of  the  summer  assembly  to  the 
moral  education  of  children  is,  that  the  assembly  itself,  if  rightly  con- 
ducted, is,  both  by  contagion  and  direct  appeal,  a  means  of  moral  in- 
fluence. This  education  by  general  environment  is  not  so  apt  to  be 
wholesome  if  the  assembly  is  engrafted  upon  a  resort  which  has  already 
attained  a  worldly  or  unintellectual  reputation.  I  heard  of  such  a  place 
in  southern  Illinois,  at  the  end  of  a  street-car  line,  which,  upon  being 
refused  a  liquor  license  on  very  good  grounds,  decided  to  become  a 
Chautauqua. 

But,  certainly,  no  one  has  ever  visited  the  original  Chautauqua,  in 
New  York  state,  who  has  not  felt  that  it  is,  for  the  summer  months,  the 
ideal  City  Beautiful,  and  who  has  not  been  glad  that  boys  and  girls  are 
playing  in  the  streets  thereof.  The  cheerful  order  and  general  civic 
fellowship,  the  restful  Sabbath,  the  devotion  to  intellectual  ideals,  the 
deference  shown  to  great  thinkers  and  actors  in  human  life,  the  emphasis 
upon  good  music,  the  careful  introduction  of  the  arts,  the  drama,  and  the 
dance  upon  the  plane  of  noble  self-expression,  the  wholesome  relations 
of  the  whole  community  to  fun  and  play,  the  fellowship  of  people  from 
North  and  South,  the  central  place  of  religion  in  the  life  —  every  influence, 
from  the  disposal  of  sewage  up  to  the  idealism  expressed  by  "  the  Golden 
Gates  "  and  the  Hall  of  the  Christ,  is  a  character-making  force  in  the 
life  of  children. 

When  we  remember  that  from  one-fourth  to  one-third  of  the  half- 
million  people  who  attend  summer  assemblies  are  children,  we  realize 
that  the  problems  of  moral  education  for  youth  at  such  places  are  by  no 
means  unimportant.  The  nearness  to  nature,  the  opportunities  of 
personal  approach  which  the  assembly  affords,  the  readiness  with  which 
most  of  its  advantages  may  be  used  with  the  young  for  moral  ends,  and 
the  impressibleness  and  esprit  de  corps  of  their  numbers  make  the  moral 
opportunities  unusual. 

From  the  standpoint  of  the  parent,  in  seeking  a  summer  assembly 
which  shall  include  not  merely  a  vacation  but  a  means  of  moral  teaching 
for  his  child,  the  ten-day  local  assembly,  with  its  small  group  of  cottagers 
and  its  large  night  crowds,  will  be  shunned  in  favor  of  the  assembly  with 

399 


400  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

a  longer  session,  an  isolated  situation,  and  a  more  permanent  and  quiet 
kind  of  life.  It  is  hard  to  see  how  the  former  can  be  made  to  mean 
much  more  to  a  child  than  a  sort  of  intellectual  circus,  a  brief  and  infre- 
quent flash  of  rather  wholesome  excitement  to  break  up  the  summer's 
humdrum. 

But  at  the  assembly  which  has  a  six  or  ten  weeks'  season,  there  is 
first  the  intellectual  opportunity.  The  tendency  upon  the  first  visit 
to  a  Chautauqua,  whether  by  old  or  young,  is  to  rush  feverishly  to 
everything  for  a  few  days,  and  then  do  as  one  pleases  for  the  rest  of  one's 
stay,  dropping  in  occasionally  to  a  picture-talk  or  a  concert.  Even  in 
this  tendency  to"  smatter,"  there  is  for  children  this  advantage:  it  is 
an  antidote  to  idleness,  the  curse  of  a  child's  vacation. 

The  original  Chautauqua  has  two  magniftcient  clubs,  one  for  boys 
and  one  for  girls,  in  which,  with  separate  leaders  and  buildings,  there  is 
afforded  every  day  a  programme  of  physical  exercise,  practical  talks, 
nature  rambles,  arts  and  crafts,  camping  and  play,  which  is  admirable. 
A  southern  Y.  M.  C.  A.  secretary  is  giving  his  summers  to  conducting  two 
weeks'  series  of  such  children's  programmes  at  the  smaller  and  shorter 
assemblies,  which  must  be  immensely  helpful,  where  the  more  elaborate 
club  life  is  impossible. 

The  direct  social  influence  of  a  moral  character  at  such  assemblies 
is  best  gained  by  such  a  club  life  as  has  been  described.  At  Chautauqua, 
lawlessness  among  boys  is  quelled  by  making  them  policemen  and  guards 
of  the  grounds,  and  their  civic  spirit  is  cultivated  by  including  them  in  all 
the  assembly  processions,  out-door  functions  and  frolics.  The  power 
of  responsibility  is  conferred  by  putting  them  in  charge  of  the  aquatic 
day  and  patriotic  celebrations.  At  the  Good  Will  Pines,  in  Maine,  con- 
ducted in  connection  with  the  famous  farm  school  there,  the  boys  of  the 
farm  are  introduced  in  a  wholesome  way  to  the  broader  outlook  of  city 
life  by  receiving  as  their  guests  at  this  unique  camp-assembly  boys  from 
the  city  Christian  Associations  of  Portland  and  Bangor.  At  the  many 
Y.  M.  C.  A.  state  summer  camps,  there  is  not  only  a  mingling  of  boys 
from  many  counties,  a  united  bearing  of  domestic  duties,  and  a  large 
measure  of  self-government,  but  the  magic  of  the  camp-fire  is  used  to 
mingle  the  ancient  mystic  feeling  for  the  night  and  for  fire,  the  fellow- 
ship of  song,  sport,  and  rest,  and  the  religious  appeal.  The  summer 
assemblies  that  gather  many  boys  have  an  opportunity  by  such  means 
to  touch  the  roots  of  character.  The  finest  example  of  social  spirit  thus 
developed  is  no  doubt  seen  in  the  conferences  of  older  boys  which  have 
gathered  under  Y.  M.  C.  A.  auspices  for  the  past  few  years  at  Lake 
George  and  Lake  Geneva.     There  not  only  is  the  religious  feeling  warm, 


THE  MORAL  INSTRUCTION  OF  CHILDREN  401 

but  the  sole  purpose  of  the  gathering  is  that  these  Christian  boys  may 
confer  as  to  how  best  they  may  reach  and  help  their  comrades.  Those 
who  have  attended  these  conferences  regard  them  as  veritable  social 
crusades  of  remarkable  maturity  and  enthusiasm  of  purpose. 

The  direct  religious  opportunity  of  an  average  summer  assembly  is 
not  so  great  in  some  ways  as  one  might  suppose.  The  boys  and  girls 
are  a  procession,  coming  and  going.  Therefore  the  International 
Sunday  School  Lesson,  with  its  system  and  its  requirements  of  previous 
knowledge  and  preparation,  does  not  seem  to  fit  the  spirit  and  needs  of 
the  place,  while  usually  the  well-trained  and  famous  Sunday  school 
workers  who  may  lead  the  assembly  Sunday  schools  are  so  surrounded 
by  well-meaning  and  inquiring  adult  auditors  looking  for  points  for 
their  own  work  that  the  children  become  self-conscious  and  uneasy,  and 
the  lesson  becomes  an  exposition  to  adults  with  the  children  as  mere  lay 
figures.  At  the  New  York  Chautauqua,  the  Sunday  hour  of  religious 
instruction  is  conducted  in  the  Boys'  Club  Building  as  "  a  school  of 
Christian  ethics  "  by  the  athletic  and  club  leaders  of  the  week,  in  the 
form  of  a  series  of  practical  addresses,  with  music  furnished  by  the  chil- 
dren. Thus  the  hero-worship  of  their  manly  leaders  is  connected  with 
religious  principle,  and  there  is  some  mutuality  about  the  enter- 
prise. 

The  opportunities  in  this  direction  have  not  been  seriously  enough 
realized  and  embraced  anywhere.  Adult  speculators  should  be  abso- 
lutely debarred;  the  talks  should  be  exclusively  by  those  who  have  real 
relations  to  child  life;  and  the  treatment  should  be  wholesome,  natural, 
even  blithesome,  and  closely  related  to  every-day  experiences  and  prob- 
lems. Meetings  with  evangelistic  speakers  and  appeals  are  still  held 
at  summer  assemblies,  and  they  are  no  doubt  immediately  fruitful  in 
many  conversions.  The  novelty  of  the  place  and  speaker,  the  excite- 
ment of  the  general  situation,  the  esprit  de  corps  of  the  unusual  number 
of  children,  make  objective  manifestations  extremely  easy  to  secure. 
There  are  people  who  are  adept  at  producing  such  results.  But  for 
real  character-making  these  methods  are  to  be  deprecated  where  so  few 
opportunities  of  religious  instruction  and  exercise  are  at  hand,  and 
where  the  reaction  upon  home-coming  is  so  inevitable.  On  the  other 
hand,  the  man  or  woman  who  will  become  the  comrade  of  a  group  of 
boys  or  girls  in  their  play  or  rambles  or  study  at  an  assembly,  and  who 
will  be  patient  both  to  secure  such  decisions  and  to  follow  them  up  by 
instruction  of  the  children  and  conference  with  their  parents,  has  a  most 
unique  and  hopeful  Christian  opportunity. 

In  summary,  the  atmosphere  of  the  assembly  itself,  the  development 


402  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

of  an  intellectual  and  social  life,  especially  planned  for  children,  and  the 
religious  guidance  of  a  teacher  who  is  also  a  comrade  of  young  people  — 
these  seem  to  be  the  three  most  useful  opportunities  of  the  summer  assem- 
bly for  moral  education. 


XV 11.    RELIGIOUS  ART 


THE  TREATMENT  OF  CHURCH  INTERIORS 

MR.  RALPH  ADAMS  CRAM 

BOSTON,   MASSACHUSETTS 

As  art  has  owed  its  very  existence  to  religion,  and  must  continue 
doing  so  to  the  end  of  time,  so  is  the  converse  true,  that  religion  finds  its 
visible  expression  through  the  art  it  has  created  for  its  service.  You 
cannot  dissociate  the  two  without  infinite  injury  to  both.  Our  Puritan 
ancestors  and  the  emancipated  genius  of  the  present  age  are  at  one  in 
this,  and  the  painters  and  architects  who  think  to  survive  aloof  from  all 
religious  influence  will  fail  just  as  signally  as  the  iconoclasts  and  vandals 
of  the  sixteenth  century  failed  in  their  warfare  against  beauty,  and 
its  symbolism,  and  its  didacticism,  and  its  prophetic  faculty. 

Religion  simply  cannot  get  along  without  art.  And  by  "  art  "  I 
do  not  mean  such  passing  whims  of  society  as  may  for  the  moment  be 
the  vogue,  but  the  eternal,  indestructible  principle  of  beauty  which  is  as 
definite  a  thing  as  the  precession  of  the  equinoxes.  There  was  a  time 
when  an  instinct  for  beauty  was  the  heritage  of  every  human  being.  The 
effort  to  separate  religion  from  art  and  man  from  religion  has  resulted 
in  changing  all  that,  and  now  there  is  no  art  instinct  among  any  civilized 
people  except  the  Japanese.  Hence  the  lamentable  falling  back  upon 
professional  artists,  of  whatever  special  calling,  who,  nine  times  out 
of  ten,  though  perhaps  highly  trained,  are  yet  just  as  deficient  in  the 
instinct  for  beauty  as  those  who  call  them  into  their  service.  We  have, 
for  instance,  the  "  ecclesiastical  decorator  and  furnisher,"  with  his  brass 
pulpits,  ingenious  stained  glass  and  tawdry  embroidery,  his  egregious 
carved-oak  altars  and  spun-brass  candlesticks,  his  glittering  mosaics, 
and,  above  all,  his  remarkable  schemes  for  color  decoration.  He  adver- 
tises copiously,  and  his  name  stands  perhaps  for  all  that  is  rich  and 
elegant,  but  really  he  is  an  affliction,  for  there  is  neither  religious  feeling 
nor  reliable  instinct  behind  him. 

Yet  beauty  in  the  service  of  God  we  must  have;  and  the  need  is  abso- 
lute. Nothing  we  possess  is  really  worthy  to  be  used  in  God's  service, 
but  by  some  manifestation  of  infinite  Wisdom  it  happens  that  the  labor 
of  love  and  devotion,  the  pains  spent  to  bring  forth  absolute  beauty,  as 
well  as  that  beauty  itself,  all  serve  to  give  a  new  value  to  a  knot  of  wood 
or  a  knob  of  stone,  and  this  value  is  so  great  that,  if  it  were  possible,  the 

403 


404  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

product  thus  obtained  is  in  a  way  worthy  of  the  service  to  which  it  is 
put.  Beauty,  then,  and  perfection,  are  utterly  inseparable  from  the  idea 
of  an  acceptable  church,  and  beauty  and  perfection  we  must  have. 

Art  is  a  service  and  a  factor  in  education;  in  either  of  its  aspects,  it 
must  be  of  the  best  obtainable,  or  it  is  evil.  Here  is  one  place,  at  least, 
where  substitutes  are  out  of  the  question.  In  its  first  function  it  is  the 
intrinsically  precious,  the  laboriously  fashioned,  the  exquisitely  per- 
fected, that  alone  is  admissible;  makeshifts,  imitations,  are  ruled  out  of 
court,  and  economical  devices  for  obtaining  fallacious  appearances, 
labour-saving  expedients,  and  cheap  substitutes  are  impious  and  tinged 
by  sacrilege. 

Really,  I  believe  that  art  —  that  is,  concrete  and  absolute  beauty  acting 
as  a  system  of  subtle,  spiritual,  and  psychological  influence  —  is  perhaps 
the  greatest  teaching  agency,  the  greatest,  because  the  most  subtle  and 
penetrating  in  its  power,  man  has  ever  developed.  We  try  to  make 
our  churches  beautiful  and  intrinsically  precious  because  beauty  and 
intrinsic  worth  are  a  kind  of  sacrifice,  an  oblation  poured  out  before 
God,  but  we  make  them  this  as  well  because  one  fact  that  runs  through 
all  earthly  experience  is  that  the  lasting  lessons  come  through  the 
medium  of  the  soul  as  well  as  through  that  of  the  mind. 

The  artistic  treatment  of  a  church  interior  must  depend,  not  upon 
the  taste  or  the  wealth  of  a  given  congregation,  but  up£>n  the  nature  of 
the  visible  methods  of  worship,  for  the  including  of  which  the  building 
has  erected.  Puritanism  was  logical,  granting  its  premises;  it  eliminated 
art  from  its  public  services,  and  therefore  it  refused  art  in  the  treatment 
of  its  temples.  This  was  a  sane  and  rational  thing  to  do.  The  white- 
washed meeting-house,  void  of  the  least  hint  of  art  of  every  shape  and 
kind,  fitted  perfectly  the  Puritan  service  from  which  art  had  been 
banished  in  equal  measure.  Now  conditions  are  changing ;  art,  scorned 
and  humiliated  for  several  centuries,  is  coming  once  more  into  favor. 
It  is  felt  that  if  the  liturgical  churches  are  becoming  once  more  redolent 
of  beauty,  the  non-liturgical  should  not  fall  behind,  and  pictures,  sculp- 
ture, carving,  stained  glass,  and  music  are  put  under  requisition,  as  they 
were  of  old.  Good ;  but  it  seems  to  me  there  is  a  danger  of  misrepresen- 
tation here,  a  danger  not  always  avoided.  To  duplicate,  in  a  non- 
liturgical  and  rigorously  evangelical  church,  the  ornamentation  appro- 
priate to  another  that  is  sacramental  in  its  doctrine  and  liturgical  in  its 
worship,  is  at  the  least  ungrammatical.  Frank  and  honest  exposition 
of  principle  and  doctrine  is  one  of  the  first  functions  of  art  in  its  relation 
to  religion.  For  the  Roman  and  Anglican  communities  there  is  no 
limit  to  what  may  possibly  be  done,  but  elsewhere  it  seems  to  me  that 


THE  TREATMENJ'  OF  CHURCH   INTERIORS  405 

good  taste  and  consistency  rather  demand  a  measure  of  restraint,  for 
the  time  being,  at  least. 

Now,  about  getting  the  best  art.  I  am  not  here  to  give  a  few  easy 
rules  for  testing  the  design  of  a  pulpit  or  altar  or  stained-glass  window ; 
to  explain  how  colors  should  be  mixed  or  placed  in  juxtaposition,  to 
demonstrate  the  proper  principles  and  limits  of  decoration  in  a  Gothic 
church,  a  Georgian  meeting-house,  or  a  Christian  science  tabernacle. 
These  are  the  province  of  the  architect  employed  to  do  a  given  piece  of 
work;  and  to  the  architect  ,willy-nilly,  must  you  go  until  those  happier 
times  are  come  again  when  art  is  once  more  so  much  a  part  of  civilization 
that  the  clergyman,  the  householder,  and  the  stone-mason  all  come 
once  again  so  fully  into  their  heritage  of  the  instinct  for  beauty  that  each 
is  himself  an  artist  and  architect,  and  a  better  man  than  any  to-day. 
In  the  mean  time,  how  weigh  conflicting  claims,  and  decide  as  between 
architect  and  architect  or  decorator  and  decorator  ?  By  a  competition 
of  schemes  and  a  vote  of  a  building  committee,  or  a  poll  of  the  congre- 
gation? Never,  under  any  circumstances  whatever.  How  then? 
Simply  by  recognizing  the  fact  that  from  the  first  moment  of  recorded 
history,  and  whether  in  Europe  or  Asia,  the  laws  and  principles  of  good 
art  were  absolutely  the  same,  whether  expressed  in  the  lines  of  a  Greek 
or  Buddhist  temple,  a  Roman  basilica,  or  a  Gothic  cathedral,  down  to 
some  ill-defined  point  in  the  first  half  of  the  sixteenth  century,  and  that 
after  that  the  laws  were  entirely  new,  and,  except  in  music,  literature, 
and  the  drama,  just  as  entirely  bad.  This,  then,  is  the  bar  of  justice 
before  which  any  artistic  postulant  for  favor  must  plead.  If  in  his 
words  and  work  he  shows  that  he  understands,  accepts,  and  tries  to 
follow  the  pre-sixteenth-century  laws,  then  he  is  the  man  to  tie  to.  He 
may  fail,  and  he  luill  fail,  to  produce  work  that  will  rival  that  of  the  great 
years,  but  he  will  not  disgrace  you,  and  through  the  employment  you 
give  him,  and  the  standards  to  which  you  hold  him,  he  will  go  on  to 
better  and  better  things. 

And,  lest  you  misunderstand  me,  let  me  say  that  acceptance  of  the 
laws  does  not  mean,  in  my  mind  acceptance  of  the  forms.  I  can  imagine 
a  building  and  its  ornament,  exterior  and  interior,  in  which  should  appear 
no  single  form,  molding,  or  piece  of  carving  the  genesis  of  which  could 
be  directly  traced  to  any  given  period  of  the  past,  but  which  should, 
nevertheless,  be  so  dominated  by  the  eternal  laws  of  beauty  in  composi- 
tion, form  and  decoration,  that  it  would  be  equally  good  with  the  best 
that  ever  was.  Shifting  and  ever-changing  modes  are  one  thing,  under- 
lying laws  are  quite  other,  and  these  are  the  things  that  count. 

You  see  it  is,  after  all,  and  must  be,  a  matter  of  general  principles.  It 


4o6  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

is  impossible  to  separate  the  question  of  interior  decoration  of  churches 
from  that  of  their  outward  and  visible  form  and  their  inward  and  spirit- 
ual grace.  It  is  a  great  question,  perhaps  architecturally  the  greatest, 
since  a  church  is  the  noblest  structure  that  man  may  build.  From  the 
standpoint  of  religion,  doctrine,  and  education,  the  problem  is  unparal- 
leled in  its  importance.  I  am  only  pleading  for  this  priority,  asserting 
the  persistence  and  immutability  of  law,  and  condemning  the  old  doc- 
trine that  it  is  all  a  matter  of  fashion  or  taste,  and  that  in  art  every  man 
has  a  right  to  say  that  though  he  knows  nothing  of  art,  he  does  know 
what  he  likes. 

Finally,  have  some  one  man  responsible  during  his  life  for  all  that  is 
added  to  a  church.  If  it  is  a  new  edifice,  then  retain  the  architect 
permanently  to  pass  on  every  window,  every  piece  of  decoration,  every 
stick  of  furniture  that  is  subsequently  added.  You  can  ruin  a  good 
church  by  bad  glass  and  worse  ornaments;  you  can  save  many  an 
indifferent  structure  by  good  things  of  their  several  kinds.  A  true 
church  is  never  finished,  and  it  is  unwise  to  change  horses  in  the  middle 
of  a  river. 


THE  TREATMENT   OF   CHURCH  EXTERIORS 
MR.  JAMES  STURGIS  PRAY 

ASSISTANT   IN   LANDSCAPE  ARCHITECTURE,   HARVARD    UNIVERSITY, 
BOSTON,  MASSACHUSErTS 

I  shall  only  attempt, —  i.  To  call  attention  to  the  crying  need  that 
more  trained  thought  be  given  to  the  treatment  of  church  exteriors; 
2.  To  point  out  some  general  principles  most  important  to  be  kept 
clearly  in  view  in  the  treatment  of  each  individual  case;  and  3.  To 
refer  in  some  detail  to  the  treatment  of  two  well-marked  types  of 
church  grounds,  with  a  few  practical  suggestions  to  those  who  for  any 
reason,  in  treating  such  grounds,  cannot  conveniently  obtain  the  ser- 
vices of  a  good  landscape  architect.  In  all  this  it  must  be  borne  in 
mind  that  I  am  Hterally  only  touching  upon  the  outside  of  the  subject. 

Of  beautiful  churches  to-day  we  have  almost  no  end,  and,  what 
is  far  more  encouraging,  they  are  multiplying  at  an  ever-increasing 
rate.  More  and  more  is  wealth  being  devoted  to  rearing  substantial, 
convenient,  and  beautiful  church  buildings;  but  generally,  alas,  with- 
out as  yet  any  corresponding  attention  being  given  to  the  equally  appro- 
priate treatment  of  the  grounds  about  them.  To  design  a  monumental 
church  edifice,  an  architect,  as  a  matter  of  course,  and  one  of  recog- 
nized ability  and  taste,  is  employed.  But  when  it  comes  to  the  grounds, 
either  this  same  architect,  who  has  not  the  special  training  to  fit  him 
for  the  special  work,  or,  far  worse,  an  ordinary  gardener,  is  enough. 
The  fact,  however,  that  you  have  asked  a  landscape-architect  to  talk  to 
you  this  afternoon  on  the  subject  proves  that  you  who,  as  a 
great  educational  organization,  can  well  exert  the  widest  influence, 
recognize  that  we  have  now  reached  in  this  country  that  point  in  the 
evolution  of  our  church  homes  when  more  careful  attention  to  the 
building's  setting,  its  convenient  approaches,  and  the  beautification 
of  such  grounds  as  it  m.ay  haply  possess,  is  in  order, —  is  fitting,  if  not 
imperative.  It  is  coming  to  be  no  longer  sufficient  that  the  building 
should  be  beautiful  and  satisfying  after  one  has  entered  its  portals; 
the  importance  of  its  outward  appearance  before  the  world  is  to  be 
considered.  Not  that  its  interior  and  exterior  are  to  be  regarded  as 
separate  matters,  however,  for  they  are,  and  should  be,  recognized  as 
but  parts  of  one  whole.  The  appearance  of  the  exterior  is  but  another 
aspect  of  this  whole  and  indeed,  in  one  way,  the  primary  aspect,  since 
by  its  quality  it  attracts  to  the  interior  or  repels  from  it,  as  the  case 

407 


4o8  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

may  be.  Surely,  what  is  least  forbidding,  what  is  least  exclusive,  in  out- 
ward look,  in  other  words,  what  is  most  beautiful  and  most  attracting 
about  the  exterior  of  the  church  —  most  hospitable  and  inviting  — 
will  be  most  fitting,  most  in  accord  with  the  spirit  of  the  New  Tes- 
tament, rather  than  that  of  the  Old. 

In  the  treatment  of  church  exteriors  there  are  certain  most  impor- 
tant general  principles  which  should  always  be  borne  in  mind,  and 
should  be  applied,  as  far  as  possible,  in  each  individual  case. 

The  first  problem  in  any  typical  case,  and  one  in  which  the  land- 
scape architect  has  the  keenest  interest,  is  that  of  determining  the  pre- 
cise location  which,  all  things  considered,  the  building  may  best  occupy 
within  the  limits  of  the  lot.  The  building  being  fittingly  designed 
for  its  purposes  and  its  situation,  and  being  most  conveniently  and 
effectively  placed  with  reference  to  the  highway  or  highways,  and  at 
the  most  agreeable  elevation  above  the  ground  surface,  the  treatment 
of  a  church  exterior  in  any  ordinary  case  may  be  said  to  have  a  three- 
fold aim;  namely,  i.  To  make  the  edifice  itself  appear  to  the  very  best 
advantage;  2.  To  render  the  available  area  of  remaining  land,  so  far 
as  may  be,  practically  useful;  and  3.  To  give  the  utmost  possible 
beauty  to  the  grounds  themselves.  The  first  of  these  aims  should  always 
be  the  controlling  one,  and  neither  the  second  nor  the  third  should  or- 
dinarily be  allowed  to  interfere  with  its  most  perfect  accomplishment. 
I  conceive  that  the  two  most  worthy  motives  for  expending  large  sums 
in  building  churches  have  always  been:  i.  The  wish  to  express,  in 
a  beautiful,  monumental,  costly  structure,  the  reverence  that  its  builders 
have  shared  for  their  God;  and  2.  The  desire  to  attract  and  invite 
their  brethren  to  share  the  comfort  of  His  worship.  In  all  this  the 
grounds  are  essentially  concerned  along  with  the  building,  and  the 
most  worth-while  use,  then,  of  the  grounds  will  always  be,  first  of  all, 
to  afford  the  most  effective  setting  possible  to  the  building  itself. 

A  church  normally,  and  it  seems  to  me  very  properly,  dominates 
its  surroundings,  so  far  at  least  as  these  owe  their  existence  to  man's 
agency.  The  architect,  in  this  respect,  is  properly  freer  than  in  de- 
signing almost  any  other  building.  The  lines  of  permanent  highways, 
however,  and  probable  directions  of  most  usual  approach,  are  as  im- 
portant limitations  upon  the  placing  of  the  building  as  are  the  size  and 
shape  of  the  lot  itself.  And  this  is  true  not  only  in  the  matter  of  ob- 
taining most  convenient  access,  but  also  in  the  equally  important  mat- 
ter of  securing  the  utmost  impressiveness  or  attractiveness  of  the  build- 
ing to  those  approaching;  while  all  four  of  these  considerations,  namely, 
the  size  and  shape  of  the  lot,  its  convenient  access  and  its  effective  ap- 


THE  TREATMENT  OF  CHURCH  EXTERIORS  409 

proach,  properly  influence  both  the  distance  back  from  the  highway  or 
highways  at  which  it  shall  be  placed,  and  the  orientation  of  the  build- 
ing. 

The  unrestful  appearance  of  many  church  exteriors  is  attributable 
in  their  setting  to  some  one  or  more  of  the  following  three  frequent 
causes:  i.  Undue  proximity  to  the  highway;  2,  Facing  in  an  unreason- 
able or  an  inappropriate  direction,  being  neither  properly  squared 
with  the  highway  nor  distinctly  at  an  angle  with  it;  3.  The  unpleasant 
relation  in  elevation  of  the  top  of  the  foundation  to  the  surface  of  the 
ground,  that  is,  the  first  floor,  through  its  corresponding  external  indica- 
tions, may  be  too  high  or  too  low,  and  this  unpleasantness  is  apt  to  be 
emphasized  by  the  disagreeableness  of  the  front  steps,  or  the  junction 
of  the  vertical  walls  of  the  building  with  the  relatively  horizontal  sur- 
face of  the  groimd  is  an  ugly  one  through  its  baldness,  and  the  sharp 
contrast  along  an  aggressive  line  between  the  perfectly  formal  and  the 
more  or  less  natural.  One  thing,  the  building,  rests  on  top  of  another 
thing,  the  ground,  whereas,  by  judicious  planting,  the  two  may  fre- 
quently be  so  blended  into  one  whole  that  the  eye  passes  pleasantly 
across  the  line  of  transition. 

The  two  particular  types  of  problem  to  which  I  now  pass,  I  will 
call  the  old  New  England  meeting-house  type  built  of  wood,  and  the 
more  monumental  city  church,  whether  of  brick  or  stone.  Of  course 
these  are  only  two,  and  do  not  cover  all  cases,  as,  for  example,  the  little 
modem  country  church  which  is  not  of  the  meeting-house  type,  and 
which  is  fast  becoming,  perhaps,  the  most  common  class.  But  to 
this  class,  what  I  shall  say  of  the  grounds  of  the  more  monumental  city 
church  will  largely  apply. 

First,  to  consider  the  meeting-house  type.  We  all  know  how  attractive 
the  ordinary  wooden  meeting-house  is  as  seen  from  a  considerable  dis- 
tance, dominating  a  little  hamlet. which  nestles  amid  the  hills.  I  am  sure 
you  will  all  agree  with  me  that,  at  least  as  thus  seen,  it  is  most  agreeable 
when  painted  white,  with  green  blinds.  As  seen  near  at  hand,  it  can  never 
suggest  anything  but  the  sterner  faith  of  our  sturdy  forefathers,  whether 
Pilgrim,  Puritan,  Quaker,  or  what  not,  and  any  attempt  to  soften  its 
severity  by  painting  with  color  or  much  planting,  even  if  the  plants 
be  chosen  with  restraint,  is  pretty  apt  merely  to  weaken  its  old  expression 
without  accomplishing  a  new  one.  The  result  is  hodge-podge.  Far 
better  is  it,  as  always  where  we  can,  to  follow  Pope's  advice  and 
"seek  the  genius  of  the  place  in  all."  In  this  case,  then,  it  will  be 
most  effective  so  to  select  and  dispose  any  planting  we  may  use  as 
rather  to  enforce  the  old  solemnity  of  the  building,  its  dignity,  which 


4IO  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

is  often  very  considerable,  aiming  more  to  awaken  respect,  or  it  may 
be  reverence,  than  to  attract  through  lighter  quality. 

It  would  be  hard  to  find  a  building  more  formal  in  its  lines  than 
the  meeting-house  we  are  considering,  or  any  which  more  thoroughly 
dominates  its  surroundings.  We  recognize  its  spirit  to  be  at  once 
rigid  and  devotional,  conventional  but  aspiring,  a  spirit  which  it  ex- 
presses in  every  line  of  its  not  too  attractive  countenance.  Fitness, 
harmony,  demand  thus  at  once  and  incontestably  a  formal  handling  of 
the  immediate  surroundings  of  such  an  edifice.  Were  the  building 
of  stone,  it  is  true,  judicious  informal  shrubbery-planting  about  its 
base  might  enhance  the  formal  beauty  of  the  building.  Since  it  is  of 
wood,  this  is  not  true,  yet  something  of  the  actual  forbidding  quality 
of  barrenness  which  many  now  feel,  and  justly,  in  many  examples 
of  the  type,  may  in  some  cases  be  somewhat  relieved  by  the  temperate 
use  of  some  good  vine  or  vines  of  attractive  foliage  and  flower  —  ever- 
green if  preferred — ^the  choice  to  depend  on  locality  and  other  conditions 
of  the  particular  case. 

Instead  of  vines  grown  on  trellises,  a  formal  clipped  hedge  of  privet, 
of  arbor-vitse,  or  of  the  fragrant  box,  around  the  base  of  the  build- 
ing and  several  feet  out  from  it,  will  in  some  cases  look  well.  Open- 
ings can  be  kept  clipped  opposite  any  basement  windows. 

Besides  this  planting  close  to  the  building,  there  is,  in  such  grounds 
as  we  are  considering,  small  need  for  planting,  for,  in  general,  well- 
kept  turf,  where  the  ground  is  not  occupied  by  necessary  areas  of 
gravel  road  or  path,  will  be  much  more  effective  than  any  other  form 
of  vegetation.  But  it  is  always  desirable  that  the  boundaries  of  the 
lot  be  clearly  marked,  and,  whether  or  not  there  be  a  wall  or  fence, 
the  planting  of  the  boundary  may  add  to  its  effectiveness.  This 
planting,  in  the  case  of  the  grounds  of  the  typical  meeting-house,  may 
often  best  be  a  formal  clipped  hedge  in  keeping  with  the  rigid  lines  of 
the  building;  its  formality  will  tend  to  increase  the  unity  of  the  place. 
If  the  grounds,  however,  are  of  some  extent,  so  that  the  boundaries  do 
not  count  much  in  direct  relation  to  the  lines  of  the  building,  an  infor- 
mal border  shrubbery  will  not  be  out  of  keeping,  and  will  be  far  more 
interesting  in  itself,  through  its  greater  variety  in  outline,  color,  and  tex- 
ture. The  use  of  trees  in  such  grounds  depends  so  upon  the  size  and 
form  of  the  area  available  that  no  general  prescription  can  safely 
be  made.  In  general,  it  is  better  to  err  on  the  side  of  omission  than 
overcrowding,  for  in  the  latter  case  the  strong,  simple  efifect  of  the 
type  is  lost.  On  the  contrary,  where  the  grounds  are  large  enough  to 
permit,  formal  rows  of  trees  along  the  boundaries,  and  even  leading  up 
to  the  main  entrance,  are  sometimes  exceedingly  effective. 


THE  TREATMENT  OF  CHURCH  EXTERIORS  411 

I  ask.  your  attention  to  several  special  possibilities  in  connection 
with  church  grounds,  not  yet  taken  advantage  of,  so  far  as  I  know. 
Where  there  is  room,  what  could  be  more  interesting  or  instructive  to 
children  of  the  Sunday  school  than  actually  to  grow  some  of  the  plants 
of  which  they  read  in  the  Scriptures,  or  which  have,  through  the  ages, 
been  elements  of  the  landscape  in  Palestine?  Surely,  this  would  be 
good  use  of  ground,  and  a  space  sufficient  could  very  often  be  set 
apart  for  this  use,  without  injuring  the  harmony  of  the  whole.  Hap- 
pily, a  large  number  of  the  plants  native  to  the  Holy  Land  grow  here, 
or  have  close  relatives  here,  as,  for  instance,  the  box,  the  irises,  leeks, 
beans,  coriander,  thistles,  wheat,  melons,  mandrakes,  balsams,  worm- 
wood, and  mustard,  besides  a  good  share  of  our  common  trees  which 
could  be  grown  until  they  became  too  large.  Many  other  plants  illus- 
trative of  the  Scriptures  will  suggest  themselves  the  minute  thought 
be  given  to  the  matter.  Many  city  children  never  see  a  flower.  How 
like  heaven  would  the  church  garden  literally  appear,  full  of  strange 
blossoms ! 


THE  EDUCATIVE  POWER  OF  ORGAN  MUSIC 

MR.  GEORGE  A.  BURDETT 

ORGANIST  CENTRAL  CONGREGATIONAL  CHURCH,  BOSTON,  MASSACHUSETTS 

Religion  is  the  function  of  the  soul;  education  —  in  its  fullest  and 
highest  sense  —  is  the  finding  and  unfolding  of  that  function,  the  dis- 
covery and  development  of  that  soul.  Music  is  its  voice;  the  organ,  its 
instrument.  The  educative  aim  and  effort  of  church  services,  in  every 
element  thereof,  is  the  outdrawing  and  nurture  of  man's  soul-self,  the 
breath  of  which  is  worship.  Hence,  with  holy  harmony  of  purpose 
and  exertion,  the  study  of  all  possible  educative  powers  for  church  use 
is  a  most  sacred  and  solemn  duty.  The  pulse  of  the  spirit  is  the  ideal 
revealed  to  the  spiritualized  imagination,  the  eye  of  the  soul.  With 
this  spiritualized  and  quickened  imagination  shall  men,  in  some  degree, 
see  God. 

In  the  early  ages  in  times  of  war,  the  cloister  was  the  refuge  for 
scholars  and  artists  of  all  sorts.  Men  of  action  fought;  scholars 
thought;  artists  poured  forth  heart  and  soul.  Fra  Angelico  was  a 
type;  Savonarola,  no  solitary  exception.  Music  is  a  product  of  ecclesi- 
astic nurture.  So  in  the  thirty-years'  war  in  Germany,  the  organ  was 
almost  an  asylum  for  musicians;  they  devoutly  cultivated  it,  till  or- 
ganists were  as  vernacular  to  music  as  are  pianists  to-day.  So  abound- 
ing was  this  cultivation,  that  organs  in  themselves  had  become  in  the 
time  of  Bach  a  foremost  force  of  spiritual  influence.  Candidates  were 
not  only  carefully  examined  musically,  but  were  catechised  in  religion, 
were  pledged  to  sober  livmg  and  conscientious  performance  of  duties; 
they  were  then  installed  with  musical  ceremonials  and  exhortations 
from  the  pastor.  The  organ  was  the  key  to  all  of  Bach's  great  works; 
the  mold  in  which  he  thought  and  wrote  everything.  He  greatly 
glorified  this  use  in  the  service  of  God. 

Countless  are  the  testimonies  in  history  to  the  power  of  the  organ 
in  divine  service;  a  single  example  must  suffice.  Practorius  —  mighty 
man  in  many  mental  lines  —  "  thanks  Almighty  God  that  He  has 
vouchsafed  so  great  a  mercy,  so  perfectum  a  gift  to  all  mankind,  so  full 
of  His  praise  and  power  to  beget  Christian  contemplation." 

Average  people  even  instinctively  recognize  that  the  organ  belongs 
in  church.  They  will  tell  you,  in  a  tone  of  voice  that  means  much,  that 
to  them  "there  is  something  about  an  organ  "  —  generally  they  say 
no  more;  perhaps  because  they  do  not  quite  understand  its  power  over 

412 


THE  EDUCATIVE  POWER  OF  ORGAN  MUSIC  413 

them,  and  often  because  of  the  natural  shrinking  from  speaking  of  the 
affairs  of  the  soul.  Most  men  have  an  "  Achilles'  heel  "  of  musical 
susceptibility,  notwithstanding  "  not  knowing  one  tune  from  another." 
It  is  like  a  dormant  seed  in  most  men ;  but  it  can  be  nurtured  with  pa- 
tient persistence  to  fruitage;  the  growth  is  often  unconscious,  to  be 
sure,  but  the  organ  can  carry  on  from  Sunday  to  Sunday  a  saving  and 
subtle  work,  like  sunlight  and  dew.  It  can  go  far  to  bring  rest  and 
repose  into  the  heart  and  mind,  and  this  is,  indeed,  much  in  our  day; 
for  rest  and  repose  are  prerequisite  to  all  fruits  of  the  spirit. 

One  shining  shadow  we  see  at  the  very  outset:  Church-organ 
music  should  always  have  a  spire!  As,  to  the  eye,  that  heavenward 
suggestion  should  always  be  instant  and  unmistakable  both  in  the 
interior  and  the  exterior  of  the  church  edifice,  so  should  the  music  of 
the  organ  lead,  through  the  ear,  to  divine  worship.  The  organ  should 
be  harmonious  with  this  purpose,  to  eye  as  well  as  ear.  To  many,  organs 
look  like  grocery-store  windows,  just  as  many  churches  in  outward 
aspect  are  in  danger  of  being  mistaken  for  fire-engine  houses.  The 
organ  music  should  always  have  a  spire;  even  as  the  choir  music 
should  always  have  a  chime,  and  both  together  should  constitute  a 
chancel  in  tone  expression  and  impression. 

Organ  music  in  the  church  must  be  regarded  in  no  sense  and  at  no 
time  as  a  performance;  the  organist  is  not  in  office  as  a  virtuoso,  but 
as  a  ministrant;  his  sacred  message  is  his  concern;  he  must  efface 
himself.  All  thought  of  admiration  for  himself  or  his  organ  must  be 
put  away.  He  is  to  prepare  the  congregation  for  worship  and  aid  them 
in  this.  Display  of  his  own  skill  or  of  his  organ  blocks  the  educative 
power  or  any  power  of  churchly  influence.  On  the  other  hand,  his 
competency  —  fine  and  refined  perceptions  and  abilities  —  his  mas- 
tery of  himself  and  his  art,  must  be  sufficient  to  give  this  power  inherent 
in  his  art  and  his  instrument  free  and  full  exercise.  He  ought  to  be  a 
man  of  spiritual  fitness;  not  only  an  organist  but  a  musician,  not  only 
a  musician  but  a  church  musician  in  gift  and  training,  not  only  that, 
even,  but  a  man  in  a  suitable  and  essential  sense  —  no  narrow  or  prudish 
sense. 

The  organ  music  should  have  a  spire.  The  prelude  is  not  for  bait; 
nor  is  it  a  pastime  in  the  interest  of  chronic  laggards;  the  offertory 
is  not  for  entertainment;  the  postlude  should  not  be  fireworks.  The 
music  should  be  clean  of  all  suggestion  of  the  worldly  ways,  free  from 
associations  even  with  secular  usage  and  surroundings.  It  should  not 
be  conspicuously  ornate  or  scholastic,  but  it  should  be  a  message 
eloquently  delivered.     Habit  has  reduced  the  postlude  generally  to  a 


414  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

perverted  opportunity;  its  possibility  is  a  peculiar  power,  seldom  used; 
and  this  is  not  all  the  fault  of  the  organist,  by  any  means.  The  prelude 
has  a  latent  power  for  spiritual  preparation  by  no  means  always  utilized 
by  the  congregations. 

The  music  that  is  used  should  be  true  to  its  purpose;  not  simply 
good  art  sound,  sane  and  strong,  but  church  art;  not  pretty,  or  pleas- 
ing, or  sweet,  or  sentimental,  but  of  earnest  sentiment,  true  to  its  pur- 
pose.    Simple  it  may  be,  but  noble,  elevated,  uplifting,  worshipful. 

You  remind  me,  perhaps,  that  worship  is  essentially  praise;  yes, 
and  there  is  place  for  praise  in  the  organ  music,  not  boisterous  and 
bombastic  and  blatant  hurly-burly,  but  dignified,  and  majestic, 
poiseful  solid  and  massive,  telling  of  the  glory  of  God  and  not  the 
vainglory  of  man.  Praise  is  reached  or  developed  through  confession, 
and  prayer,  and  adoration;  all  the  fruits  of  devout  and  meditative 
moods. 

There  must  be  peace  within  the  hearts  and  minds  of  the  congrega- 
tion, through  penitence  and  prayer ;  hence  let  the  organist  minister  with 
sympathetic  insight  and  reverent  imagination.  He  shall  select  and 
interpret  from  his  soul-self,  mindful  of  the  power  that  is  his  to  ad- 
minister and  of  the  soul-selves  that  he  is  helping  to  develop,  or  other- 
wise helping  to  stifle  or  to  starve.     He  must  play  from  conscience. 

And  so. must  the  congregations  cultivate  conscience  in  this  question 
of  the  organ  music,  and  give  unceasing  heed  thereto.  The  good  har- 
vest requires  both  seed  and  soil  of  the  best.  Music  committees  should 
be  elected  in  this  spirit,  and  in  turn  they  should  select  their  organist 
in  like  spirit. 

Many  a  worthy  man  is  turned  from  the  true  path  of  power  and 
ministration,  or  is  spoiled  in  the  making,  by  the  pressure  of  pleasing 
that  is  put  upon  him  by  committees  and  their  constituents.  But  we 
are  gradually  throwing  off  this  bondage;  many  a  parish,  or  members 
thereof,  have  seen  the  light.  Many  a  loyal  soul  is  ministering  to  this 
end.  The  tide  of  the  spirit  is  coming  in!  No  clearer  sign  of  this 
than  this  very  assembly.  Even  as  we  must  bestow  all  possible  rever- 
ence of  imagination  and  skill  into  the  making  of  God's  house,  so  we 
must  do  our  utmost  to  enable  His  voice  to  be  heard  and  heeded;  and 
one  of  the  powers  to  this  end,  precious  and  unlimited,  is  enshrined  for 
us  in  the  organ. 


THE  EDUCATIVE  VALUE  OF  THE  ART  OF  THE  GREAT 

PAINTERS 

REV.  HENRY  G.  SPAULDING 

ART  LECTURER,  BROOKLINE,  MASSACHUSETTS 

The  relation  of  this  art  to  ethical  and  religious  culture  is  as  obvious 
and  as  direct  as  that  of  literature  or  music,  and  its  high  educative  value 
is  at  once  apparent  if  we  take  the  end  and  aim  of  religious  education 
to  be  the  training  of  the  whole  man  in  life's  great  school.  What,  then, 
has  been  the  actual  connection  between  religion  as  thus  defined  and 
the  art  of  the  great  painters  ? 

In  the  first  place,  Renaissance  painting  put  before  the  mind  of 
Christendom  the  poetic  aspects  of  its  religion.  By  means  of  his  im- 
mortal parables,  which  are  pictures  in  words,  Jesus  portrayed  various 
aspects  of  the  divine  kingdom,  making  his  appeal  to  the  imagination 
of  his  hearers.  In  like  manner  the  great  artists  of  the  Renaissance 
painted  upon  their  canvas  scenes  and  events  taken  from  the  popular 
Christian  mythology,  from  the  legends  of  the  saints,  or  from  the  bib- 
lical narratives  themselves,  —  which  for  them,  as  artists,  belonged 
less  to  the  realm  of  historic  fact  than  to  that  of  the  religious  imagina- 
tion. Take,  for  example,  the  whole  cycle  of  scenes  and  events  from 
the  life  of  Mary,  the  mother  of  Jesus.  Our  gospels  give  us  only  a 
dim  and  shadowy  outline  of  certain  portions  of  that  life.  But  in  Chris- 
tian art  we  have  the  richly  illustrated  biography,  so  to  speak,  of  a 
woman  who  is  the  personification  of  all  female  loveliness  and  excel- 
lence, all  wisdom  and  purity.  With  a  boundless  avidity  for  the  pictu- 
resque, these  painters  found  another  rich  storehouse  of  subjects  in  the 
introductory  chapters  of  the  first  and  third  Gospels.  The  "  holy 
night  "  of  the  Saviour's  birth  is  transformed,  in  Correggio's  famous 
picture,  into  a  spiritual  vision  in  which  the  thought  of  the  Christ  as 
the  Light  of  the  world  is  expressed  by  the  mystic  radiance  emanating 
from  the  body  of  the  holy  Child  and  shedding  a  glory  even  upon  the 
angels  who  hover  above  the  manger. 

For  their  pictures  of  other  scenes  of  the  Christmas  story  these  Re- 
naissance painters  found  poetic  suggestions  in  the  Gospel  narratives. 
In  the  time  when  the  synoptic  Gospels  took  their  present  shape  the 
fervent  imagination  of  the  early  church  had  already  pictured  the  ad- 
vent of  the  Messiah  as  a  drama  in  which  heaven  and  earth  united  their 
creative  splendors.     The  artists'  vivid  appeal  to  the  eye  turned  the  old 

415 


4i6  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

Scripture  into  new  poetry  and  fixed  the  visions  in  enduring  forms. 
Their  paintings  turn  the  story  of  Bethlehem  into  a  new  evangel  of 
peace  and  good  will.  As  we  look  at  these  wondering  shepherds  and 
these  kneeling  Magi,  we  seem  to  see  a  great  world-company  of  the 
lowly  and  the  lofty  moving,  in  one  vast  procession,  to  offer  tribute  and 
render  homage  to  the  condescending,  great  God,  who  incarnated 
himself  in  human  childhood. 

In  ways  like  these  the  art  of  the  great  painters  set  in  a  new  light  the 
poetic  aspects  of  the  Christian  faith.  Blot  from  the  Gospels  the  pic- 
torial parables  of  Jesus  and  take  Christian  art  from  history,  and  you 
rob  the  religion  of  Christ  of  some  of  its  most  precious  treasures.  A 
faith  that  made  no  appeal  to  the  spiritual  imagination,  an  ideal  of 
holiness  that  burst  upon  the  world  trailing  no  "  clouds  of  glory  as  it 
came,"  would  be  a  poor  substitute  for  the  Christianity  which  we  now 
have,  and  which,  as  we  see  the  fair  semblances  of  its  inspiring  ideals 
glowing  on  the  painter's  canvas,  is  like  a  morning  in  the  spring,  sweet 
with  the  lingering  fragrance  of  the  early  flowers  and  sparkling  with 
the  meadow  grasses  still  wet  with  the  dew. 

But  the  art  of  the  Renaissance  rendered  another,  and  even  more 
important  service  to  Christianity.  The  great  painters  anticipated, 
in  part,  our  modern  attitude  toward  the  Bible.  We  no  longer  look 
upon  the  Bible  as  an  arsenal  of  proof-texts  bristling  with  weapons  for 
theological  warfare.  Nor  is  it  chiefly  valuable  to  us  as  a  collection  of 
ancient  records  regarded  merely  as  the  history  of  one  chosen  race. 
We  study  it  as  a  great  nation's  religious  literature;  but  we  prize  it  for 
the  principles  which  it  sets  forth  in  living  presentations.  It  contains, 
as  no  other  book,  a  wealth  of  symbolical,  pictorial,  and  suggestive  truths 
which  are  translatable  into  the  common  speech  of  present-day  conduct. 
It  abounds  in  allegories  in  which,  as  in  Bunyan's  "Pilgrim's  Progress," 
we  may  read  the  story  of  the  soul's  inward  struggles  and  of  its  conflicts 
with  the  world  without.  Our  sorrows  are  there  to  be  comforted;  our 
joys,  to  be  hallowed;  our  temptations,  to  become  the  tests  of  a  vic- 
torious manhood.  It  tells  us  of  strenuous  faith  that  wins  the  crown; 
of  buoyant  and  patient  hope;  of  helpful  love,  which,  passing  through 
the  clarifying  alembic  of  the  consecrated  soul,  becomes  a  love  divine, 
"  that  stoops  to  share  man's  sharpest  pang,  his  bitterest  tear." 

This  higher  valuation  of  the  Bible  was  felt  and  acted  upon  by  the 
great  painters.  They  would  have'  had  little  patience  with  the  pietistic 
literalism  which  seeks  to  understand  and  interpret  the  New  Testament 
by  studying  the  altered  scenery  of  the  Holy  Land  and  associating  with 
the  Arabs  of  modern  Syria.    "  Christ  and  his  Apostles,"  the  art  critic. 


THE  EDUCATIVE  VALUE  OF  THE  PAINTERS'  ART        417 

Mr.  Beranson,  has  well  said,  "  were  to  these  painters  the  embodiment 
of  living  principles  and  living  ideas.  They  could  not  think  of  them 
otherwise  than  as  people  of  their  own  kind,  living  under  conditions 
easily  intelligible  to  themselves  and  their  fellow-men.  The  more 
familiar,  then,  the  look  and  surroundings  of  Biblical  and  saintly  per- 
sonages, the  more  would  they  drive  home  the  principles  and  ideas 
which  they  incarnated."  It  is  easy  to  carry  this  view  of  the  matter  too  far. 
We  read  ourselves  into  the  men  whom  we  read  about ;  and  we  think 
that  what  we  find,  or  what  finds  us,  in  a  book  or  in  a  picture  is  what  the 
author  or  the  painter  put  into  it.  But,  with  all  allowance  for  mistakes 
of  this  sort,  we  cannot  fail  to  see  that  these  Renaissance  painters  brought 
the  old  stories  and  the  old-time  events  out  of  the  dead  Past  and  set 
them  with  intelligible  forms  and  warm  colors  into  the  midst  of  the 
living  Present.  In  doing  this  the  artists,  unconsciously  perhaps,  but 
none  the  less  effectively,  detached  ideas  and  ideals  from  the  written 
records  and  brought  them  close  to  our  common  human  sympathies. 

How  full  of  meaning,  too,  are  the  great  painters'  representations  of 
scenes  from  the  ministry  of  Jesus!  What  a  rebuke  was  given  to  the 
carping  judgments  of  living  sinners  when  the  woman  taken  in  adultery 
makes  her  mute  appeal  to  the  merciful  Galilean  in  the  midst  of  a  com- 
pany composed,  not  of  ancient  Jews,  but  of  the  sensualists  and  liber- 
tines of  his  own  day  and  his  own  city!  Even  the  painful  scenes  of 
Passion  Week  make  a  deeper  impression  as  those  who  looked  upon 
the  pictures  recognized  the  place  as  their  own  neighborhood,  and  saw, 
in  the  brutal,  angry  throng,  their  fellow-citizens;  for,  in  this  way,  it 
was  borne  in  upon  their  minds  that  they  and  such  as  they  might  crucify 
their  Lord  afresh.  Or,  turn  again  to  the  Madonna  pictures  by  the 
Great  Masters.  To  his  vision  of  the  Eternally  Feminine,  Dante  had 
raised,  in  the  Paradiso,  his  hymn  of  praise: 

."  Whatsoe'er  may  be 
Of  excellence  in  creature,  pity  mild, 
Relenting  mercy,  large  munificence, 
Are  all  combined  in  thee." 

In  many  of  the  masterpieces  of  Renaissance  paintings  this  gracious 
and  beautiful  creation  of  religious  poetry  and  Christian  mythology, 
the  Madonna  —  the  Mother,  whose  heart  of  joy  is  shadowed  by  the 
sorrows  which  her  Babe  one  day  must  bear  —  expresses,  as  no  dogma 
of  the  creeds  ever  expressed,  the  essential  meaning  of  that  self- forgetting, 
self-sacrificing  love  of  which  the  Cross  is  the  abiding  symbol. 


ARTISTIC   STUDIES  IN  THEOLOGICAL   SEMINARIES 

PROFESSOR  WALDO  S.  PRATT,  Mus.D. 

HARTFORD  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY 

The  importance  of  this  topic  from  our  point  of  view  needs  no  ex- 
tended emphasis.  We  are  charged  with  the  problem  of  arousing 
interest  in  the  various  applications  of  the  fine  arts  to  religious  uses, 
and,  if  possible,  of  stimulating  advance  in  such  applications.  But 
nearly  all  of  these  applications  that  we  can  touch  take  place  in  the 
routine  of  church  life  and  activity.  Pre-eminently  do  they  appear  in 
the  great  field  of  public  worship  as  one  aspect  of  that  life.  In  this 
field  all  must  recognize  the  immense  influence  of  the  ministry  in  de- 
termining what  shall  be  the  canons  of  theory  and  what  the  usages 
of  praxis.  To  a  degree  that  is  almost  appalling,  public  worship  is 
what  the  ministry  makes  it,  particularly  in  those  communions  where 
liturgical  rules  and  traditions  are  most  flexible  or  formless.  More 
than  this,  popular  thought  about  all  that  pertains  to  public  worship 
or  branches  out  from  it  must  be  strongly  dominated  by  the  average 
thought  among  the  ministry.     "  Like  priest,  like  people." 

If,  then,  we  would  move  wisely  and  effectively  toward  the  popular 
uplifting  of  church  building  and  decoration,  of  church  music  and 
hymnody,  of  the  use  of  artistic  appliances  in  Sunday  school  instruction, 
of  the  religious  apphcations  of  Uterary  art  both  in  the  church  and  in 
the  home,  and  of  the  whole  popular  apprehension  of  the  interrelation 
between  things  aesthetic  and  things  reHgious,  we  must  early  concen- 
trate effort  upon  the  strategic  center  of  the  whole  situation  —  which 
is  the  ministry.  Unless  the  ministry  generally  can  be  awakened  to 
the  altogether  unique  values  of  fine  art  in  manifold  forms  for  accom- 
plishing spiritual  results  of  the  highest  importance  and  the  greatest 
permanence,  we  shall  be  driven  to  the  much  slower  process  of  so  generat- 
ing thought  among  the  laity  that  they  in  time  shall  compel  the 
clergy  to  move,  whether  they  will  or  no. 

But  we  should  cordially  acknowledge  that  among  ministers  there 
are  many  whose  minds  are  open  in  this  direction  and  who  are  eager 
to  recover  for  Christianity  to-day  that  artistic  power  that  it  has  had  in 
other  ages  in  fuller  measure  than  now.  Ministers  of  this  class,  how- 
ever, can  hardly  be  said  to  be  common,  or,  so  to  speak,  typical.  They 
are  scattered  here  and  there,  and  there  are  few  means  by  which  their 
efforts  can  come  to  combined  expression  and  so  exert  their  full  power. 

418 


ARTISTIC  STUDIES  IN  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARIES      419 

We  may  perhaps  venture  the  guess  that  most  of  them  are  men  of 
middle  age,  whose  interest  in  the  artistic  side  of  reHgion  has  grown 
gradually  as  experience  has  broadened  and  as  reflection  has  become 
mature.  The  younger  men,  as  a  rule,  seem  much  less  commonly  in 
sympathy  with  this  aspect  of  Christian  effort.  To  some  of  them 
artisticness  means  effeminacy  or  luxury,  and  perhaps  a  care  for  the 
beautiful  seems  like  carelessness  about  the  true  and  the  good.  Neither 
in  college  nor  in  the  seminary  have  they  received  any  positive  impulse 
to  think  otherwise.  All  their  contacts  with  art  have  been  with  it  as 
simple  amusement,  and  usually  very  empty-headed  and  even  heartless 
amusement  at  that.  I  think  that  it  is  safe  to  say  that  the  constant 
influx  of  young  Hfe  into  the  ministry  is  not  bringing  with  it  any  con- 
siderable knowledge  of  the  fine  arts  in  their  larger  forms  nor  any  de- 
cided purpose  to  apply  them  vigorously  in  their  God-intended  work  in 
the  interest  of  sphrituality. 

This  brings  us  face  to  face  with  our  question.  In  what  directions 
should  the  theological  seminary  aim  to  teach  artistic  subjects?  which 
of  these  are  most  necessary  and  most  practicable?  and  what  methods 
are  germane  in  each?  The  time  here  at  our  disposal  is  so  short  that 
no  adequate  statement  can  be  made  of  this  really  extensive  subject. 
What  I  shall  say  must  stand  without  argument  or  illustration  for  the 
most  part. 

Art  topics,  it  is  now  well  understood,  can  enter  into  formal  educa- 
tion in  three  somewhat  distinct  ways.  First,  the  student  may  be 
introduced  to  the  technical  processes  of  an  art  and  drilled  in  these  as  if 
his  object  was  to  become  an  artist — a  method  that  presupposes  some 
noticeable  natural  aptitude  and  that  involves  a  large  expenditure  of 
time.  Second,  instead  of  working  thus  synthetically,  he  may  be  trained 
in  the  analysis  of  art  products  and  given  a  historian's  sense  of  how 
they  have  been  gradually  developed  as  expressions  of  civilization — 
a  method  that  has  the  great  advantages  of  being  analogous  to  meihods 
in  constant  use  in  other  fields  and  of  making  not  too  great  demands  upon 
the  student's  time.  Third,  instead  of  either  pursuing  technical  skill 
or  scientific  or  historical  information,  efforts  may  be  made  to  present 
to  the  student's  appreciation  in  a  somewhat  informal  way  more  or  less 
extensive  collections  or  reproductions  of  art  works  for  their  general 
cultural  effect.  Each  of  these  methods  has  its  own  decided  value, 
and  through  various  combinations  of  them  art  subjects  of  different 
kinds  may  be  made  integral  parts  of  a  curriculum  in  any  educational 
institution.  For  the  needs  of  a  theological  seminary  they  should  be 
used  with  due  regard  to  the  limitations  of  time  and  relative  emphasis 


420  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

that  are  more  orless  obvious.  In  colleges  and  universities  all  of  them 
are  in  successful  operation  in  the  interest  of  several  different  fine  arts, 
notably  in  literature.  The  question  for  us  is  as  to  how  much  of  them 
may  be  practical  and  desirable  in  a  seminary.  Let  us  take  the  three 
methods  in  turn. 

Technical  training  for  the  sake  of  active  artistic  skill  is  called  for 
in  a  seminary  in  three  forms  of  fine  art — in  literary  composition,  in 
public  reading  and  speaking,  and  in  singing  (with  possibly  the  rudi- 
ments of  musical  construction).  The  acquisition  of  a  forcible  literary 
style  as  a  true  art  is  of  inestimable  importance  to  a  minister,  since 
language,  written  and  spoken,  is  the  tool  whereby  the  minister  does 
most  of  his  professional  work.  All  seminaries  have  prolonged  courses 
in  homiletics,  or  the  preparation  of  sermons,  yet  these  plainly  do 
not  suffice  to  make  their  graduates  the  experts  in  the  use  of  English 
that  they  ought  to  be.  It  is  disagreeably  notorious  that  the  average 
minister  is  careless  and  crude  in  this  direction,  and  the  worst  of  it  is, 
that  he  so  often  despises  culture  of  this  sort  as  merely  a  decorative 
accompKshment  rather  than  something  that  concerns  the  very  sub- 
stance and  potency  of  all  that  he  is  to  say  or  write.  All  seminaries, 
too,  have  some  drill  in  the  art  of  pubUc  speaking,  especially  in  its 
more  advanced  forms.  Very  few  of  them,  however,  go  down  to  the 
root  of  the  matter  or  provide  systematically  concatenated  courses. 
For  myself,  I  must  beheve  that  one  of  the  prime  essentials  in  a  semi- 
nary is  drill  in  voice-building,  through  individual  lessons  at  first,  so  as  to 
ascertain  and  correct  those  deep-lying  faults  or  misconceptions  that 
often  hamper  a  minister  throughout  his  career.  The  object  at  first 
should  be  the  real  culture  of  the  conversational  voice  quite  as  much 
as  the  so-called  "  oratorical  "  voice.  On  this  foimdation  many  dif- 
ferent and  more  advanced  lines  of  special  study  can  be  rested  with 
hope  of  real  utility.  Voice-building,  too,  opens  the  way  toward  the 
art  of  singing,  which  almost  every  one  now  recognizes  as  of  the  greatest 
importance  for  the  active  minister.  Here  again  the  plea  must  be  for 
attention  to  the  matter  systematically,  beginning  with  the  art  of  sight- 
singing,  with  its  involved  drill  in  part-singing.  This  will  pass  over 
more  or  less,  especially  with  some  students,  into  a  study  of  the  rudi- 
ments of  harmony,  but  this  need  not  be  pressed  as  a  necessity.  That 
seminary  is  especially  fortunate  to  those  students  to  whom  is  also  acces- 
sible the  practice  of  well-drilled  chorus  choirs  or  a  choral  society, 
since  these  provide  that  more  elaborate  experience  with  part-singing 
which  is  almost  out  of  the  question  in  the  seminary  itself.  We  put 
down,  then,  on  our  Hst  of  courses  in  art  subjects  designed  to  give  real 


ARTISTIC  STUDIES  IN  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARIES      421 

artistic  skill  of  a  strictly  technical  sort,  three  items:    Drill  in  literary 
style,  drill  in  vocal  expression,  drill  in  singing. 

Fully  as  strong  a  plea  may  be  made  for  courses  of  a  scientific  or 
historical  character  in  a  number  of  directions.  Such  courses  are 
naturally  carried  on  through  lectures,  the  benefit  of  which  consists  in 
the  gradual  acquisition  by  the  student,  not  only  of  a  large  body  of  in- 
formation, but  of  a  personal  keenness  of  appreciation  and  discrimina- 
tion that  is  quite  as  important.  I  almost  hesitate  to  give  the  list  of 
topics  that  seem  to  me  important  and  somewhat  practical,  simply  be- 
cause I  shall  be  charged  with  being  chimerical.  Yet  most  of  the  topics 
that  I  would  urge  have  been  tried  in  some  way  and  found  possible  and 
useful.  In  most  seminaries  there  is  a  call  for  some  work  in  EngUsh  litera- 
ture, especially  in  its  relations  to  religion  and  morals.  This  may  take 
many  forms;  such  as,  the  Theology  of  the  English  Poets,  the  Moral 
Influence  of  Fiction  or  the  Drama,  the  Impress  of  the  Historic  Church 
upon  the  Development  of  Literary  Art  in  General.  Probably,  there 
would  be  an  advantage  in  having  the  point  of  view  varied  from  year 
to  year.  Doubtless  there  is  a  place  for  courses  upon  the  style  and 
thought  of  particular  writers  of  conspicious  power,  such  as  any  one 
might  name.  In  connection  with  the  work  in  elocution,  there  ought 
to  be  some  historical  and  critical  work  done  to  give  an  idea  of  the  vast 
extent  of  the  field  of  eloquence  in  its  several  great  applications.  The 
field  of  music,  too,  offers  an  unlimited  range  of  useful  themes,  begin- 
ning with  that  which  joins  hard  upon  literature,  upon  theology  and 
upon  practical  spirituality,  namely,  the  history  of  hymnody,  which 
ought  to  be  conspicious  in  every  seminary  curriculum.  To  this  I 
would  add  the  history  of  church  music  as  a  special  branch  of  musical 
art,  and  I  would  push  out  beyond  this,  if  possible,  to  include  some 
sketch  of  the  general  history  of  music  as  a  whole,  sufficient  to  give  an 
idea  of  its  close  relation  to  the  history  of  civilization.  I  also  beHeve 
that  there  is  room  occassionally  for  analytical  studies  in  particular 
musical  art-forms,  especially  the  oratorio,  but  not  forgetting  the  sym- 
phony, the  song  and  some  instrumental  forms.  The  lives  of  certain 
musicians  may  sometimes  be  considered  by  themselves  with  much 
profit,  especially  those  that  have  left  a  positive  impress  upon  sacred 
music.  From  music  it  is  natural  to  pass  to  several  of  its  sister  arts. 
Almost  every  one  of  them  had  its  origin  in  the  Church,  has  given  to 
the  Church  much  of  its  choicest  energy,  and  has  powerfully  affected 
the  course  of  religious  and  moral  development  in  the  past.  Architec- 
ture is  conspicuous  in  this  regard,  and  probably  all  seminaries  ought 
to  offer  to  their  students  some  means  of  knowing  by  observation  and 


422  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

explanation  the  styles  and  forms  that  have  been  associated  with  the 
Church  in  different  periods,  both  for  their  historic  value  and  for  their 
wealth  of  suggestion  as  to  present-day  church-building.  Painting  and 
sculpture  are  almost  equally  valuable,  and  for  the  same  reasons. 
Reproductions  of  such  art-work,  also,  are  of  the  greatest  use  in  religious 
education  in  the  Sunday  school,  and  ministers  cannot  afford  to  be 
absolutely  ignorant  about  them.  In  short,  it  may  almost  be  said  that 
no  established  discipline  in  the  history  of  fine  art  can  be  named 
that  would  not  have  utility  if  given  a  place  in  a  seminary  curriculum 
at  some  time. 

The  objection  to  all  such  courses  is,  that,  to  make  them  worth  while 
in  a  scientific  sense,  they  must  be  presented  by  an  expert,  must  occupy 
a  long  series  of  class-room  hours,  and  must  be  entered  into  by  the  stu- 
dent with  such  thoroughness  that  they  seriously  invade  his  time  and 
his  energy  for  other  studies.  For  a  few  of  them,  like  the  history  of 
hymnody,  for  example,  it  may  be  said  that  the  profit  is  well  worth  all 
it  may  cost.  For  others,  however,  I  think  that  the  way  to  bring  them 
in  is  rather  under  the  head  of  "  cultural  "  courses,  in  which  the  aim 
is  not  so  much  to  address  the  student's  intellect  and  reason  as  to  affect 
his  instinctive  taste  and  feeling.  The  best  good  of  a  course  of  demon- 
strations of  oratorio  music  or  of  architectural  masterpieces,  for  in- 
stance, is  not  that  which  can  be  tested  by  an  examination  or  set  down 
in  note-books,  but  that  unconscious  awakening  of  the  heart  to  artistic 
beauty  and  meaning  which  may  become  a  lifelong  possession  and  joy. 
Accordingly,  I  believe  that  most  work  in  these  directions  should  be 
conducted  somewhat  informally,  and  with  such  an  emphasis  on  the  ex- 
hibition of  specimens  that  they  may  speak  for  themselves,  and  work 
almost  unaided  that  influence  upon  sensitiveness,  upon  imagination, 
upon  reverence  and  aspiration,  that  is  in  their  power.  There  is  hardly 
a  seminary  that  does  not  have  professors  who  could  add  one  or  more 
such  cultural  courses  to  their  list  with  success,  and  in  doing  so  would 
establish  a  new  link  of  sympathy  between  themselves  and  their  stu- 
dents. Handled  in  this  way,  such  courses  would  escape  the  danger 
of  becoming  too  technical  or  too  devoid  of  definite  religious  application, 
and  the  close  relation  of  students  with  their  regular  instructors  would 
encourage  that  questioning  and  discussion  that  make  such  studies 
peculiarly  profitable.  The  one  point  of  greatest  practical  difficulty  is 
in  the  providing  of  specimens  for  use.  All  these  involve  considerable 
monetary  expenditure,  yet  every  one  of  them  can  be  justified  as  a  part 
of  library  equip-ment.  For  example,  in  these  days  the  reproduction 
of  music  by  mechanical  piano-players  is  advancing  with  startling  rapid- 


ARTISTIC  STUDIES  IN  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARIES      423 

ity,  and  bids  fair  to  be  an  educational  appliance  of  the  first  impor- 
tance. The  reproduction  of  architectural  and  pictorial  specimens  in 
the  form  of  lantern-slides  is  already  very  common,  and  its  pedagogical 
application  needs  no  explanation  or  defense.  All  enterprising  semi- 
naries should  provide  among  their  apparatus  the  means  for  the  pre- 
sentation of  such  specimens  to  its  student5-,  and  should  no  more  grudge 
this  outlay  than  it  does  v^^hat  it  spends  for  other  tools  of  study.  What- 
ever is  secured  becomes  a  permanent  possession,  which,  with  suitable 
care,  will  serve  several  generations  of  students. 

Put  as  briefly  and  perhaps  insistently  as  are  these  remarks,  it  is 
likely  that  they  will  seem  somewhat  revolutionary  and  extreme.  Yet 
as  was  said  at  the  outset,  nothing  has  been  suggested  that  has  not  had 
some  sort  of  trial  somewhere.  Indeed,  the  list  might  easily  have  been 
made  longer,  especially  if  the  whole  discipUne  of  liturgies  had  been 
included.  The  criticism  that  is  most  likely*  is,  that  in  the  ordinary 
seminary  curriculum  there  is  no  time  for  all  these  things.  I  am  not 
so  foolish  as  to  hold  that  all  of  them  should  be  required  of  all  students. 
Each  institution  must  determine  by  experiment  what  can  be  made 
effective,  and  most  courses  of  this  sort  must  be  held  as  electives  until 
they  have  estabHshed  their  utiHty,  if  not  always.  Probably  some 
courses  should  be  given  only  once  in  two  or  three  years,  alternating 
with  others,  and  should  be  open  to  students  of  all  classes.  This  is  an 
obvious  economy  of  effort  for  all  concerned.  No  sensible  person  would 
urge  that  the  whole  plan  of  seminary  instruction  should  be  remodeled 
so  as  to  make  room  for  a  large  amount  of  art  study,  as  if  it  were  of  equal 
importance  with  exegesis  or  church  history  or  dogmatics  or  pastoral 
theology.  All  that  is  claimed  is,  that  no  seminary  in  these  days  can 
afford  to  send  out  its  students  with  absolutely  no  knowledge  and  no 
sympathy  in  these  directions,  both  for  their  personal  sake  and  for  the 
sake  of  their  ministerial  effectiveness. 

Let  me  expand  this  last  clause  a  Uttle.  The  practical  minister 
needs  development  on  the  artistic  or  aesthetic  side  for  his  own  sake, 
because  his  work  calls  for  a  full-rounded  personal  culture.  In  the 
long  run,  his  influence  will  be  measured  by  the  magnitude  of  what  he 
is  in  himself,  by  the  breadth  of  his  sympathies,  the  depth  of  his  feelings, 
the  elevation  of  his  ideals.  In  this  presence  it  is  not  necessary  to  argue 
that  the  awakening  of  the  aesthetic  faculties  is  for  all  men  indispensable 
to  these  results.  No  possible  acumen  of  the  intellect,  or  furnishing  of 
the  scientific  memory,  or  even  direction  of  the  will  or  affections,  if  it 
be  unchastened  and  ungraced  by  the  quickening  of  the  imagination 
and  of  the  sense  of  beauty  and  fitness,  can  possibly  make  a  well-bal- 


424  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

anced  character.  How  often  has  it  proved  that  a  mind  of  great  ra- 
tional and  volitional  power  has  plainly  failed  of  its  possible  greatness 
because  it  was  too  pragmatic  and  too  unlovely  in  all  its  operations. 
The  truth  involved  in  these  assertions  eludes  final  statement  in  words, 
but  no  person  of  insight,  I  venture  to  think,  will  deny  that  there  is 
truth  in  them.  If  this  be  so,  then  it  follows  that  theological  education 
cannot  safely  or  justly  overlook  it.  The  means  chosen  to  approach  it 
may  vary  greatly,  but  the  aim  in  view  does  not  vary,  namely,  to  stir 
in  every  student  those  faculties  that  have  so  much  to  do  with  making 
him  a  broad  and  sensitive  man. 

The  practical  minister  needs  development  on  the  aesthetic  side  for 
the  sake  of  his  ministerial  effectiveness,  both  because  much  of  his  rou- 
tine work  is  essentially  artistic  in  character  and  because  the  artistic 
avenue  of  appeal  to  men  generally  is  surely  one  of  the  most  open  and 
most  direct.  It  can  hardly  be  said  too  often  or  too  strongly  that  the 
whole  administration  of  public  worship  in  all  its  varied  forms  is  es- 
sentially artistic  in  character,  not  because  it  happens  to  include  artistic 
features,  but  because  liturgical  action  cannot  help  being  an  artistic 
complex  throughout.  That  many  services  are  conspicuously  un aes- 
thetic in  plan  and  in  detail  does  not  mean  that  nothing  artistic  enters 
into  them,  but  that  the  art  in  them  is  poor.  In  this  great  function  of 
ministerial  duty  many  an  unassuming  man,  without  knowing  it,  is 
finding  the  joy  and  reaping  the  reward  of  the  true  artist,  though  per- 
haps he  would  be  mystified  if  you  were  to  tell  him  so.  On  the  other 
hand,  many  an  earnest  worker  stumbles  and  fumbles  through  his  vari- 
ous liturgical  acts  simply  because  his  artistic  instinct  is  weak  or  un- 
developed regarding  them.  Leadership  in  services  of  public  worship 
constitutes  by  far  the  major  part  of  the  entire  routine  public  work  of 
the  ministry,  and  hence  it  is  not  too  much  to  say  that  any  preparation 
for  the  profession  that  does  not  provide  artistic  stimulus  to  the  would- 
be  minister  in  his  student  days  is  woefully  defective,  since  it  is  not 
calling  into  action  just  those  faculties  that  are  to  be  most  necessary 
throughout  his  whole  professional  career.  This  thesis  might  be  de- 
fended and  advanced  at  almost  any  length.  But  we  must  not  fail  to 
say,  in  addition,  that  the  avenue  of  appeal  to  men,  through  the  capacity 
of  deUght  and  fascination  for  that  which  is  finished,  exquisite,  and  beau- 
tiful, is  really  one  of  the  best  that  is  open  to  any  social  worker.  It  is 
often  said  that  in  these  days,  and  perhaps  especially  in  this  country, 
the  reverse  of  this  is  the  fact.  But  we  may  venture  to  doubt  the  cor- 
rectness of  any  analysis  of  any  one  who  exercises  social  power  if  it 
leaves  out  of  account  those  qualities  of  his  habitual  modes  of  approach 


ARTISTIC  STUDIES  IN  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARIES      425 

to  men  that  are  inherently  aesthetic.  What  is  called  "  magnetism  " 
is  often  nothing  but  the  instinct  for  aesthetic  attack.  The  suscepti- 
bility to  what  is  beautiful  is  far  more  universal  than  some  critics  would 
allow,  usually  because  they  make  their  definition  of  the  beautiful  too 
narrow.  And  it  may  be  soberly  questioned  whether  any  approach 
to  a  man's  personality  is  more  direct  and  searching  than  this.  This 
is  the  reason  why  immoral  art  of  every  kind  is  so  dangerous,  but  it  is 
also  the  assurance  that  artistic  action  or  creation  that  is  dominated 
by  a  moral  or  spiritual  purpose  may  hope  to  be  successful  and  irresisti- 
ble in  the  long  run.  The  capacity  of  sympathy  through  the  aesthetic 
nature  varies  somewhat  with  the  successive  periods  of  life,  but  it  is  not 
absent  from  any.  Probably  it  becomes  most  conspicuous  just  as  youth 
merges  in  maturity — just  the  age  at  which  the  deepest  spiritual  im- 
press for  good  or  ill  is  usually  made.  Ought  not  our  system  of  minis- 
terial training  to  recognize  this  fact,  and  make  provision  for  awaken- 
ing and  furnishing  those  faculties  in  the  young  minister  that  will  enable 
him  to  be  effective  in  this  way  with  those  who  are  thus  susceptible? 
Allow  me  two  more  remarks.  One  concerns  the  attitude  of  the 
faculties  of  our  seminaries  to  this  subject.  It  must  be  admitted  that 
the  traditional  atmosphere  of  some  of  these  institutions  is  not  evidently 
favorable  to  lines  of  study  like  those  here  urged.  Whatever  of  reluc- 
tance to  admit  them,  or  even  to  regard  them  as  desirable,  is  probably 
on  the  part  of  those  who  control  the  work  of  instruction.  I  know 
well  how  perplexing  are  the  problems  of  theological  pedagogy  in  these 
days,  and  how  indefinitely  numerous  are  the  demands  put  upon  the 
seminaries  to  adopt  this  or  that  feature  into  their  curriculum. 
It  would  be  foolish  to  call  for  a  large  apportionment  of  time  or  for 
great  outlays  upon  new  instructors  or  new  apparatus  for  the  presenta- 
tion of  the  topics  of  which  we  have  been  speaking.  But  is  it  too  much 
to  ask  that  the  professors  in  our  seminaries  generally  give  serious  con- 
sideration to  the  question  whether  they  cannot  gradually  do  more  to 
cultivate  and  direct  the  aesthetic  powers  of  their  students,  beginning 
with  perhaps  but  one  experimental  course,  but  taking  pains  that  it 
shall  be  vmderstood  that  this  is  but  one  among  many  that  are  in  mind  ? 
Is  it  too  much  to  ask  that  in  various  ways  the  treatment  of  established 
subjects  in  the  classrooms  be  made  to  include  due  reference  to  their 
conspicuously  artistic  features?  I  suspect,  for  example,  that  there 
have  been  various  long  courses  in  Church  history  in  which  there  has 
not  been  one  sympathetic  or  illuminating  mention  of  the  extraordi- 
nary influence  in  the  Middle  Ages  that  the  fine  arts  exercised  m  the 
whole  matter  of  popular  religion  or  of  the  equally  extraordinary  influence 


426  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

that  hymnody  has  exerted  in  the  last  two  centuries.  I  suspect,  too, 
that  there  have  been  courses  in  homiletics  that  have  not  once  brought 
out  in  full  the  conspicuous  fact  that  preaching  is  above  all  else  a  piece 
of  literary  and  expressional  fine  art,  all  the  more  striking  as  such  be- 
cause it  is  so  complex  in  structure.  I  suspect  that  there  have  been 
vi^hole  courses  of  lectures  on  the  dogmatic  and  philosophical  side  of 
theology  that  have  not  once  brought  out  the  conspicuous  fact  that  while 
the  theology  of  the  schools  may  be  formal  and  logical  in  its  character, 
that  of  the  people  is  always  instinctive  and  really  artistic.  These 
impressions  may  be  unwarranted,  but  if  there  is  any  truth  in  them, 
there  is  a  call  for  a  new  attitude  toward  this  whole  class  of  subjects 
on  the  part  of  theological  faculties.  That  such  subjects  have  not  been 
made  more  of  in  seminaries  is  constantly  charged  to  the  lack  of  time. 
It  ought  to  be  made  clear  that  it  is  not  due  to  any  lack  of  interest. 

My  other  closing  remark  concerns  the  way  in  which  studies  like 
those  here  advocated  are  brought  before  the  minds  of  students.  I 
beheve  that  they  should  usually  be  offered  as  electives,  so  that  taking 
them  may  not  be  by  compulsion,  but  as  far  as  possible  con  amore. 
Yet  care  should  be  exercised  that  their  real  importance  and  practical 
value  be  not  misapprehended.  The  danger  about  all  studies  of  this 
class,  especially  when  presented  in  demonstrative  or  "  cultural " 
courses,  is,  that  they  shall  appear  to  the  student  as  more  entertaining 
than  serious,  more  as  a  diversion  than  as  directly  instructive.  To 
guard  against  misuse,  therefore,  they  should  be  somewhat  explained 
beforehand,  and  great  pains  should  be  taken  at  intervals  in  them  to 
make  plain  their  bearing  upon  practical  ministerial  work.  The 
student  who  already  has  a  craving  for  them  will  not  be  slow  to  perceive 
their  importance,  but  help  will  be  required  for  men  who  have  not  yet 
awakened  to  the  need  of  artistic  information  and  sympathy.  This 
help  should  come  from  various  quarters,  if  possible,  not  altogether  from 
whoever  is  deputed  to  give  artistic  instruction,  because  from  him  it  will 
seem  to  be  special  pleading.  My  own  experience  is  that  the  average 
student  is  far  from  being  unready  to  appreciate  and  appropriate  work 
in  artistic  directions,  but  his  vague  impressions  and  desires  need  con- 
firmation and  enHghtenment,  so  that  whatever  he  attempts  may  seem 
dignified  and  worthy,  not  a  pastime  or  an  eccentric  crotchet,  but  a 
serious  part  of  his  self-equipment  for  his  life-work. 


THE  GENERAL  ALLIANCE   OF  WORKERS 
WITH  BOYS 


THE  GENERAL  ALLIANCE  OF  WORKERS  WITH  BOYS 


THE  BOY  IN  THE  COUNTRY 

The  Problem  of  the  Country  Boy 

REV.  HERBERT  A.  JUMP 

PASTOR  BOWDON  COLLEGE  CHURCH,  BRUNSWICK,  MAINE 

When  the  Aknighty  created  the  first  man  he  made  the  world  signifi- 
cant; when  he  created  the  first  boy  he  made  it  interesting.  If  man 
was  molded  from  the  dust  of  the  earth,  the  boy  was  compounded  out 
of  dust  and  electricity.  The  electricity  in  him  constitutes  the  boy- 
problem,  and  this  problem  besets  the  village,  no  less  than  the  city.  The 
fact,  moreover,  that  two  thirds  of  the  people  of  the  United  States  is  a 
country  population,  i.  e.,  lives  in  communities  of  less  than  eight 
thousand  population,  attaches  special  importance  to  the  problem  of 
the  rural  boy. 

This  boy,  considered  as  a  restless  perplexity  in  breeches,  is  not  essen- 
tially different  from  his  city  cousin.  Heredity  operates  beyond  the  munic- 
ipal fire-limits,  and  environment  exercises  influence  without  aid  from 
an  arc  light.  The  village  tavern  and  the  city  saloon  are  twin  devils,  and 
foolish  parents  are  to  be  found  everywhere.  Thepueritia  pagana  is  perhaps 
less  flexible  and  alert,  slower  to  choose  and  act,  than  the  pueritia  urhana, 
for  its  world  is  not  so  furiously  a  world  of  motion  as  that  which  beats 
upon  the  sensorium  of  the  city  boy.  Its  eye  rests  upon  a  panoramic 
rather  than  a  kinetoscopic  environment.  Also,  it  is  less  socially  adapt- 
able, for  it  has  rubbed  elbows  only  with  other  boys  like  itself,  and  the 
same  kind  of  "  rubbing  "  having  gone  on  now  for  many  generations,  the 
"  elbows  "  are  instinctively  familiar  with  one  another.  And  it  is  less 
breathlessly  ambitious,  less  touched  with  the  fever  for  success.  It  is 
unlike  the  city  species,  in  that  it  is  more  acquainted  with  quiet  than  with 
change.  Self-reUant  when  lost  in  the  woods,  the  country  boy  is  awkward 
or  terror-stricken  in  a  crowd;  the  "  Rube  "  is  a  stock  character  in  cur- 
rent drama  comedy.     His  monotonous  environment  fails  to  develop  in 

1  The  papers  following  were  read  al  the  convention  of  the  General  Alliance  of  Workers  with  Boys. 
The  directors  of  the  General  Alliance  of  Workers  with  Boys  decided  to  celebrate  their  decen- 
nial by  holding  their  annual  convention  in  connection  with  that  of  the  Religious  Education  Asso- 
ciation. The  Alliance,  like  the  Association,  is  international  and  non-sectarian.  It  enrolls  several 
hundred  men  and  women,  most  of  whom  are  salaried  and  volunteer  leaders  of  many  varieties  of 
social  work  with  boys.  The  organ  of  the  Alliance  is  a  quarterly  magazine.  Work  with  Boys,  pub- 
lished in  Fall  River.  In  addition  to  the  formal  programme  of  the  Alliance  as  a  department,  there 
were  reunions  of  those  interested  in  special  forms  of  work  and  excursions  to  social  institutions  for 
boys  in  Boston. 

429 


430  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

him  as  much  institutional  fertility  as  it  does  manual  facility.  He  is  less 
an  inventor  and  supporter  of  clubs  than  his  city  cousin.  His  vitality 
suffers  from  scarcity  of  boyish  avenues  along  which  to  travel;  and  he  is, 
in  consequence,  often  an  adult  before  his  time.  Peril  comes  to  the  city 
boy  from  the  exhilaration  of  positive  wrong-doing;  to  the  country  boy 
from  the  drifting  possibilities  of  a  nature  where  the  physical  has  out- 
stripped in  development  the  imaginative  and  idealistic.  The  one  does 
too  many  things  that  are  bad;  the  other  does  not  attempt  enough  things, 
either  good  or  bad.  You  redeem  the  city  boy  by  damming  up  the 
sluices  into  which  his  life-currents  ought  not  to  flow;  but  to  save  the 
country  boy,  you  dig  new  channels  into  which  his  surging  strength  can 
be  directed.  Roughly  speaking,  the  country  boy  corresponds  to  an 
earlier  or  tribal  stage  of  social  evolution,  before  the  great  city  was 
invented;  and  his  defects  are  corrected  by  bringing  to  bear  upon  him 
precisely  those  socializing  iniluences  of  which  the  city  boy  has  a  surfeit. 
Let  us  hasten  at  this  point  to  disabuse  ourselves  of  a  notion  popularly 
accepted,  the  idea,  viz.,  that  contact  with  nature  has,  per  se,  amoral 
significance.  Walking  over  grassy  fields,  finding  song-sparrows'  nests, 
and  visiting  the  haunts  of  the  retiring  orchid  —  which  are  possibihties 
in  the  country  boy's  Hfe  —  ought  to  give  him  a  saintward  impulse,  so 
the  nature-study  enthusiast  says.  But  they  do  not.  Even  when  the 
country  boy  does  have  toward  nature  that  contemptuous  ignorance 
begotten  of  famiharity,  he  receives  from  her  little  if  any  moral  dynamic. 
A  badly  started  boy  goes  to  the  bad  as  readily  in  a  sequestered  valley 
as  in  a  turbulent  metropoHs.  Suppose  one  hundred  thousand  children 
in  Chicago  cannot  tell  a  daisy  from  a  violet,  as  has  been  claimed;  they 
are  not  more  likely  to  cheat  in  examinations  on  that  account.  And 
when  you  have  transplanted  them  into  the  country  and  filled  them  with 
flower-lore,  you  have  but  taught  them  flowers,  and  flowers  are  not  ethics. 
In  one  of  the  prettiest  villages  of  Maine,  a  hill  top  town  commanding  a 
view  of  the  Presidential  Range  of  the  White  Mountains,  it  was  discovered 
that  definite  influences  were  corrupting  the  morals  of  the  boys.  At 
length  the  source  of  the  infection  was  unearthed,  and  behold!  in  this 
quiet  town  a  full-fledged  academy  of  sin  was  holding  regular  sessions 
under  the  leadership  of  a  foul-minded  but  masterful  boy.  A  group  of 
lads  at  the  age  when  the  gang-spirit  was  dominant  had  been  organized 
with  all  the  delicious  accompaniments  of  a  secret  society  to  learn  "  the 
things  a  fellow  ought  to  know  to  be  a  man."  Smoking,  profanity,  and 
obscene  stories  were  not  the  worst  courses  in  the  curriculum  of  this 
"  Fagin's  school."  In  a  community  where  every  prospect  pleased, 
only   the  boys  were  vile.     This  dark  picture,  however,  ought  not  to  be 


THE  BOY  IN  THE  COUNTRY  431 

left  unrelieved.  The  salvation  of  a  boy  consists  in  the  right  satisfaction 
of  his  interests,  and  when  a  "  gang  "  is  wisely  "  chaperoned  "  (to  use 
a  word  of  Dr.  Forbush's),  its  acquisitive  and  competitive  activities  find 
in  the  world  of  nature  a  rich  exploitable  field.  Under  such  circum- 
stances, the  country  boy  begins  to  enjoy  his  advantage  of  contact  with 
nature.     But,  alas!  how  rarely  does  the  gang  find  its  "  chaperon  "! 

The  most  alarming  feature  of  the  country  boy  problem  is  that  for  the 
most  part  it  is  as  yet  a  problem  unattacked.  The  city  boy  has  long 
been  the  object  of  study  and  reforming  endeavor.  His  psychology, 
physiology,  sociology,  and  soteriology  have  been  pretty  well  w^orked  out. 
It  really  is  a  privilege  to  be  a  bad  boy  in  a  city  nowadays.  The  candi- 
date for  redemptive  work  has  so  much  done  for  him  by  countless 
philanthropic  agencies,  that  the  perplexity  must  be,  forsooth!  to  decide 
by  which  particular  means  he  will  let  himself  be  "  rescued."  With  the 
country  boy,  on  the  other  hand,  all  is  different.  He  has  neither  been 
systematically  studied  nor  has  altruistic  enthusiasm  annexed  him  to  its 
province.  For  him  there  are  no  boys'  clubs,  gymnasiums,  game  centers, 
free  baths,  juvenile  libraries,  social  settlements,  or  trade  schools.  For 
him  exists  no  w^ealthy  patron  w^ho  will  outdo  Providence  in  generosity  — 
for  the  gifts  of  Providence  are  limited  by  wisdom.  For  him  there  is  none 
of  the  proud  glamour  accompanying  the  consciousness  that  he  is  a  "  cata- 
logued case."  Because  his  needs  are  not  as  sensational  as  those  of  the 
city  boy,  the  morally  backward  boy  in  the  rural  town  has  been  left  to 
feel  that  society  never  cares  for  him  until  he  has  broken  some  law,  and 
then  he  experiences  in  the  policeman  or  constable  only  her  severe  and 
punishing  hand.  "  For  many  years,"  writes  Mr.  Riis,  "  grass  has  been 
considered  sacred  in  New  York  city;  only  recently  have  boys  begun  to 
be  so  considered."  The  towns  are  slower  than  the  metropolis;  the 
majority  of  them  neglect  both  grass  and  boys,  and  even  the  most  pro- 
gressive communities  spend  more  money  printing  signs  for  the  protection 
of  the  greensward  than  they  invest  in  conscious  ministry  to  their  coming 
young  men.  But  the  inertia  of  even  our  daredevil  American  optimism 
will  ere  long  be  roused  and  broken;  the  advancing  army  of  social 
progress  will  not  dare  to  leave  this  unreduced  fortress  of  the  country  boy 
threatening  its  rear;  around  the  rural  lad,  as  well  as  round  the  city  lad, 
must  be  flung  the  arms  of  a  wise  and  upbuilding  friendliness. 

The  "  promoter  "  is  a  newly  evolved  functionary  in  the  industrial 
world  who  has  quickly  justified  his  existence.  He  is  the  individual 
who  builds  money-power  into  corporations,  who  organizes  financial 
elements  into  a  unified,  working  aggregate.  Something  or  some  person 
must  be  found  capable  of  fulfilling  the  "  promoter  "  function  for  the 


432  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

boy-power  of  our  country  towns.  There  are  agencies  already  on  the 
field,  to  be  sure,  but  they  are  not  coping  with  the  problem.  Either  new 
agencies  must  be  devised,  or  else  the  now-existing  agencies  must  be 
increased  in  efficiency. 

Always  the  home  is  the  mainstay  of  hope.  But  the  boy  who  possesses 
the  right  kind  of  Christian  home  is  not  part  of  the  boy  problem,  and 
the  boy  who  makes  the  problem  is  generally  one  who  has  no  "  home," 
in  the  spiritual  sense  of  the  term,  and  often  none  in  the  material  sense. 
What  shall  be  done  for  the  homeless  boy,  and  who  will  do  it  ? 

Why  should  not  the  school  building  in  our  towns  be  generally  appro- 
priated as  a  boys'  rendezvous?  In  each  village,  let  a  system  of  self- 
governing  clubs  be  organized  with  athletic,  chivalric,  patriotic,  parha- 
mentary,  or  social  interests,  adapted  to  various  ages  and  susceptible  to 
the  impetus  of  competition.  Each  club  will  be  under  the  supervision 
of  an  adult,  mature  enough  to  hold  before  the  boys'  minds  unyielding 
ideals  of  manly  living,  but  young  enough  to  understand  and  forgive 
recurring  neglects  of  such  ideals.  These  club  leaders  will  naturally 
meet  from  time  to  time  for  conference  with  the  general  superintendent, 
who  will  bean  interested  citizen,  a  teacher,  or,  least  desirably,  a  minister. 
In  these  clubs,  the  country  boy  will  be  first  of  all  socialized.  He  will 
enjoy,  also,  the  rich  gains  following  upon  supervised  athletics,  and  mean- 
while, and  quietly,  the  companionship  of  noble  standards  is  molding 
him  into  their  image. 


THE  CHIVALRIC  IDEA  IN  WORK  WITH  BOYS 

REV.  FRANK  L.  MASSECK 

PASTOR   CHURCH  OF  OUR  FATHER,    SPENCER,   MASSACHUSETTS;   NATIONAL   KING  OF 
THE    KNIGHTS    OF    KING    ARTHUR 

Every  person  who  comes  into  intimate  contact  with  boys,  whether 
as  parent,  teacher,  or  friend,  reahzes  the  truth,  emphasized  in  GuHck's 
"  Studies  of  Adolescence,"  the  "  spontaneous  tendency  of  boys  in  pubes- 
cent years  to  develop  social  and  political  organizations."  Mr.  Sheldon, 
in  "The  Institutional  Activities  of  American  Children,"  shows  that 
the  tendency  to  spontaneously  imitate  every  form  of  adult  organization 
is  manifest  before  the  age  of  ten,  and  that  only  about  thirty  per  cent  of  the 
large  number  of  children  whom  he  observed  had  not  belonged  to  some 
such  organization.  After  ten,  the  boys  cease  to  imitate  adult  societies, 
and  tend  to  form  social  units  characteristic  of  the  lower  stages  of  evolu- 
tion, pirates,  robbers,  soldiers,  savages,  where  the  strongest  and  boldest 
is  the  leader.  At  this  point  is  found  the  danger  of  this  instinctive  ten- 
dency. President  Hall  says:  "  Especially  in  city  life,  the  boy  is  divorced 
from  the  steadying  laws  of  recapitulation  which  insure  emergence  in  due 
season  into  a  higher  state,  and  so  is  all  the  more  plastic,  helpless,  dis- 
oriented, and  in  need  of  succor.  In  decadent  country  communities, 
with  fev/er  and  feebler  offspring,  with  lax  notions  of  parental  discipline, 
such  associations  often  break  out  in  hoodlumism,  and  in  many  unsettled 
portions  of  the  country  a  semi-savage  state  of  society  results.  Under 
all  circumstances  the  boys  left  to  themselves  tend  to  disorder  and  trival- 
ity.  Hence,  in  large  part,  comes  the  immeasurable  waste  of  adolescent 
hfe." 

These  are  the  facts.  What  is  now  proposed  as  a  remedy?  Presi- 
dent Hall  says:  "  All  social  Ufe  should  be  organized  about  youth  like 
placenta,  and  should  restore,  if  possible,  all  the  lost  phyletic  elements 
that  are  needful,  while  adult  leaders  should  strive  to  ripen  that  deep  and 
lasting  friendship  which  the  young  so  readily  develop,  with  hfelong  and 
enthusiastic  gratitude  for  those  that  really  serve  them.  Every  adolescent 
boy  ought  to  belong  to  some  club  or  society  marked  by  such  secrecy  as 
is  compatible  with  safety.  Something  esoteric,  mysterious,  a  symbolic 
badge,  countersign,  a  lodge  and  its  equipment,  and  perhaps  other  things 
owned  in  common,  give  a  real  basis  for  comradeship,  and  cultivate 
a  peculiar  form  of  group-honor.  The  prime  purpose  which  should 
determine  every  choice  of  matter  and  method  is  moral,  viz.  so  to  direct 

433 


434  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

intelligence  and  will  as  to  secure  the  largest  measure  of  social  service, 
advance  altruism,  reduce  selfishness,  and  thus  advance  the  higher 
cosmic  order.  Youth  loves  combat.  Its  very  best  safeguard  and  its 
highest  ideal  is  honor,  and  this  has  its  best  expression  in  what  may  be 
called  the  ethnic  Bible  of  the  Saxon  race  in  its  adolescent  stage,  the 
literature  of  chivalry.  I  am  convinced  that  there  is  nothing  more  whole- 
some for  the  material  of  Enghsh  study  than  that  of  the  early  mythic 
period  in  Western  Europe.  I  refer  to  the  literature  of  the  Arthuriad 
and  the  San  grail.  We  have  here  a  vast  body  of  ethical  material,  char- 
acters that  are  almost  colossal  in  their  proportions,  incidents  thrilling 
and  dramatic  to  a  degree  that  stirs  the  blood  and  thrills  the  nerves.  It 
teaches  the  highest  reverence  for  womanhood,  piety,  valor,  loyalty, 
courage,  munificence,  justice,  and  obedience.  The  very  life-blood  of 
chivalry  is  heroism." 

This  is  the  ideal  remedy  proposed.  Twelve  years  ago,  Dr.  Forbush 
began  a  practical  experiment  at  realizing  this  ideal,  and  President  Hall 
says,  "  This  idealized  court  of  King  Arthur  is  the  very  best  form  for 
this  age."  It  is  interesting  to  know  that  others,  unconscious  of  what 
Dr.  Forbush  has  already  so  well  done,  have  had  visions  of  a  similar 
work,  and  made  some  progress  towards  realization.  Only  the  other 
day  a  letter  came  into  my  hands,  from  a  clergyman  in  Chicago,  who  had 
almost  worked  out  a  practical  scheme  before  he  learned  of  the  Knights 
of  King  Arthur.  In  England,  Dr.  Paton  has  evolved  the  "  Boys'  Life 
Brigade,"  in  which  he  endeavors  to  teach  boys  to  develop,  relieve,  and 
save  life,  rather  than  to  destroy,  which  is  the  tendency,  at  least  in  the 
various  forms  of  military  organizations.  Out  of  this.  Dr.  Paton  had 
come  to  propose  a  "  Court  of  Honor,"  which  would  seek  to  develop  the 
highest  life  and  aspiration  in  the  heart  of  the  boys.  These  and  various 
other  attempts  to  the  same  end  show  us  so  clearly  that  the  prophecy  of 
the  reign  of  Arthur  is  being  realized  in  our  time.  Many  of  these 
workers  are  now  allying  themselves  with  the  Knights. 

But  now  comes  the  practical  question.  How  does  the  chivalric  idea 
work  out  in  practice?  For  reply,  I  will  give  you  some  illustrations 
taken  from  the  records  of  our  Castles.  The  oldest  living  Castle  is 
Roseville  No.  44,  in  Newark,  New  Jersey.  The  leader  is  a  lady.  For 
nearly  nine  years  she  has  been  working  with  the  boys  who  have 
successively  come  under  her  influence.  By  means  of  drills  of  various 
kinds,  and  with  games,  the  boys  have  been  attracted  to  the  meetings. 
They  have  helped  buy  a  carpet  for  the  church,  and  now  are  at  work 
on  the  mortgage.  Cake  and  cream  have  frequently  been  enjoyed. 
The  object,  "  Boys  for  Christ,"  has  ever  been  kept  in  view,  and  tact- 


THE  CHIVALRIC  IDEA  IN  WORK  WITH  BOYS  435 

fully  a  word  has  now  and  then  been  spoken.  Miss  Jones  writes,  "  It  is 
difficult  to  measure  the  growth  of  character.  But  I  believe  no  good 
influence  has  been  lost.  I  have  seen  the  boys  made  purer  by  meeting 
together  as  a  K.  O.  K.  A." 

A  Baptist  minister  in  Nashville,  Tennessee,  writes,  "  I  do  very  little 
preaching  to  the  boys.  I  think  the  best  thing  is  to  tie  them  to  the  church 
and  myself,  and  let  them  feel  that  about  the  church  may  be  found  the 
most  wholesome  life  for  a  boy.  I  am  aiming  at  forming  a  bond,  rather 
than  piling  up  statistics  as  to  how  many  moral  lessons  I  swathed  them 
with.  I  believe  this  course  was  amply  justified  when,  at  the  close  of  a 
special  series  of  meetings  which  I  myself  conducted,  and  in  which  I 
asked  the  special  sympathy  and  support  of  the  Castle,  fourteen  of  the 
members  united  with  the  church.  But  that  is  not  all.  We  supported 
a  boy  in  school  last  year,  furnishing  him  also  with  books.  We  believe 
in  the  K.  O.  K.  A.  and  wish  it  many  summers." 

Another  pastor,  in  a  town  where  all  the  influences  are  opposed  to 
church  membership,  and  in  a  church  which  had  never  had  a  male  under 
twenty-one  unite  with  it,  after  three  years  of  work,  saw  four  of  the  boys 
take  their  positions  at  the  altar,  one  of  whom  afterwards  entered  the 
Divinity  School,  and  will  shortly  be  ordained  as  pastor  of  a  large  church. 
Another  of  the  group  has  been  for  four  years  superintendent  of  the  Sun- 
day school.  These  results  were  accomplished  in  the  face  of  ridicule, 
derision,  and  scorn. 

Ministers  and  teachers  all  over  the  country  confess  that  with  the 
Castle  they  are  able  effectively  to  reach  boys  who  could  not  be  touched 
by  the  Sunday  school,  or  any  form  of  young  people's  religious  organiza- 
tions. 

In  a  Httle  town  of  northern  Vermont,  where  the  boys  were  notori- 
ously vulgar,  obscene,  and  impure,  the  Baptist  and  Congregational  pas- 
tors united  and  formed  a  Castle.  In  less  than  a  year  the  influence 
of  that  little  group  of  lads  had  almost  purified  the  entire  boy-life. 
Cigarette-smoking  ceased.  Profanity  was  seldom  heard.  Impurity 
was  driven  out  of  sight.  So  great  was  the  transformation,  that  business 
men  on  the  street  commented  upon  the  fact,  and  showed  their  ap- 
preciation of  the  wonderful  work  by  receptions  to  the  members  of  the 
Castle,  these  unexpected  attentions  serving  still  further  to  increase  the 
good  influence  of  the  order. 


THE  CIVIC  IDEA  IN  WORK  WITH  BOYS 
MYRON  T.  SCUDDER 

PRINCIPAL,    NEW  PALTZ   NORMAL   SCHOOL,    NEW   YORK   CITY 

The  civic  ideals  of  any  nation  are  greatly  influenced  by  the  geo- 
graphic conditions  of  the  territory  inhabited  by  that  nation.  Guyot  says 
that  because  of  the  continental  structure  of  Asia,  the  civilization  of  the 
races  on  that  continent  became  arrested  in  their  development.  The 
civic  ideals  of  its  races  are  archaic;  they  reached  a  stable  equilibrium 
centuries  ago,  and  are  hopelessly  ineffectual  from  progress.  With 
Europe  the  case  is  different.  For  its  physical  features,  including  so  many 
peninsulas  well  guarded  by  moimtain  barriers,  yet  permitting  easy  inter- 
course by  water,  make  it  "  specially  fitted  to  foster  the  formation  of 
distinct  nationaUties,  each  developing  in  a  special  direction."  It 
supports  strongly  centralized  governments  or  monarchies,  in  which 
pohtical  individualism  and  a  spirit  of  altruism  could  have  but  Httle  play. 

But  for  America,  particularly  in  the  "  noble  domain  of  the  United 
States,"  the  geographer  claims  a  grand  function.  This  country,  because 
of  its  extraordinary  wealth  of  resources  and  physical  features  (great 
reaches  of  country  interlaced  by  navigable  rivers  with  no  serious  moun- 
tain barriers),  tends  to  create  mutual  interests  among  all  the  peoples  who 
come  here,  fosters  internal  commerce,  unites  rather  than  separates 
peoples,  and  checks  the  formation  of  local  nationalities.  America  is 
therefore  the  Amalgamator  of  races,  the  continent  of  altruistic  democ- 
racy. 

Thus,  imavoidably,  are  bred  civic  ideals  differing  from  those  of  other 
nations,  and  vastly  more  compHcated  for  the  individual  citizen,  and 
demanding  a  higher  degree  of  pohtical  intelhgence.  Into  these  civic 
ideals,  the  youth  of  our  country  must  be  most  carefully  inducted.  The 
task  is  herculean,  and  all  the  more  so  because  of  the  unique  structure 
and  composition  of  the  national  government.  In  a  great  nation  com- 
posed as  this  is  of  a  number  of  small  nations,  the  principle  of  local 
autonomy  and  state  sovereignty  necessarily  clashes  with  the  principle  of 
a  centraHzed  government  at  Washington.  To  insure  survival  and  strong 
growth,  our  youth  must  be  prepared  to  participate  intelhgently,  loyally, 
unselfishly,  and  honestly  in  the  struggle  between  these  two  principles. 
But  how  shall  this  be  done  ?  The  educators  of  youth  have  an  extraor- 
dinarily difficult  task  on  hand,  and  unfortunately  the  pedagogy  of  the 
subject  is  not  yet  worked  out.     The  teaching  of  a  very  intricate  subject 

436 


THE  CIVIC  IDEA  IN  WORK  WITH  BOYS  437 

is  further  complicated  by  the  necessity  of  considering  the  laws  of  mental 
growth  and  the  nature  of  the  youthful  mind  as  it  passes  rapidly  through 
the  various  phases  of  its  development.  Perhaps  we  shall  eventually 
devise  a  scheme  for  teaching  civics,  based  on  the  historic  order  of  devel- 
opment of  governmental  machinery,  leading  from  the  simple  one-man 
power  of  primitive  man,  up  through  a  simple  democracy  like  that  of  the 
Indian  tribes,  to  the  more  compHcated  intertribal  relations,  not  yet 
representative  in  form,  shown  in  the  stories  of  Siegfried,  Ulysses,  etc., 
on  to  the  feudal  system  and  then  to  colonial  government,  where  the 
principle  of  representation  becomes  a  necessity,  and  following  this  by 
village  or  county  organization,  finishing  up  with  municipal  government. 
Such  a  scheme  certainly  opens  up  a  field  of  great  promise  and  of  un- 
bounded research  and  work  for  framers  of  courses  of  study! 

The  American  boy,  then,  and  the  American  girl  too  must  from  the ' 
very  start  be  made  acquainted  in  one  way  or  another  with  American 
civic  ideals,  and,  what  is  more,  they  should  have  early  experience  in 
devising  laws  and  ordinances  for  self-government,  as  well  as  practice  in 
obeying  and  enforcing  the  same.  While  this  is  of  special  importance, 
because  of  our  republican  form  of  government,  it  is  also  an  essential  in 
the  development  of  the  kind  of  character  needed  by  American  youth. 
In  this  country,  we  feel  the  necessity  of  appealing  to  the  individual's 
own  will  in  order  really  to  govern  him.  We  see  that  "self-government 
makes  a  man  strong  and  fit  for  life,  while  will,  coercion,  or  government 
from  without  renders  him  unfit  for  self -regulation."  Wise  government 
of  our  youth,  that  is,  a  government  in  which  they  themselves  may  really 
participate,  will  tend  to  establish  habits  of  self-control,  obedience  to  law, 
and  thoughtfulness  of  others'  welfare.  Is  it  not  therefore,  both  absurd 
and  wrong  to  rear  the  future  citizens  of  a  representative  government 
under  a  form  of  school  government  which  is  little  better  than  despotism 
(for  where  in  the  world  is  there  a  more  arbitary  rule  than  is  shown  in  the 
school-rooms  in  which  young  Americans  spend  so  many  of  the  forma- 
tive years  of  their  lives?) — a  despotism  which  at  least  has  too  often 
failed  as  utterly  as  any  despotism  can  fail  to  develop  in  the  individual 
that  rational  sense  of  responsibility  for  himself  and  for  others  which  is 
one  very  important  safeguard  of  democratic  institutions? 

Each  school  then,  and  we  may  say,  club  or  other  similar  organization, 
may  profitably  seek  to  provide  not  only  an  object-lesson  in  the  forms  of 
government,  but  actual  practice  in  exercising  the  rights  and  duties  of 
citizenship.  Sporadic  attempts  in  this  direction  have  made  their  way 
from  time  to  time  to  pubhc  notice,  coming  generally  from  some  college, 
like,  for  instance,  the  once  far-famed  Amherst  plan,  but  it  was  not  until 
the  valuable  lesson  taught  by  the  George  Junior  Republic,  and  by  the 


438  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

splendidly  conceived  idea  of  the  school  city,  that  the  movement  for 
actual  participation  in  government  came  to  be  established  on  a  substan- 
tial and  permanent  basis. 

It  is  to  the  school  city  in  particular  that  your  attention  is  invited,  as 
being  in  many  respects  the  best  type  of  junior  representative  government 
for  both  schools  and  clubs,  and  as  best  illustrating  our  topic,  "  The 
Civic  Idea  in  Work  with  Boys."  Devised  by  Mr.  Wilson  L.  Gill  now 
living  in  Germantown,  Pennsylvania,  it  has  steadily  made  its  way  into 
hundreds  of  places  in  both  hemispheres,  and  lately  the  Board  of  Edu- 
cation of  Philadelphia  has  adopted  it  as  an  essential  feature  of  school 
administration  in  that  city,  as  indeed  Cuba  had  done  three  years  ago. 
Through  the  various  departments  and  activities  of  this  organization,  the 
entire  aim  is  to  build  up  healthy  civic  ideals  and  to  afford  practice  in 
carrying  them  out,  and  to  effect  this,  the  genius  and  resources  both  of 
pupils  and  faculty  are  taxed  to  the  utmost.  Summarizing,  then,  the 
underlying  purposes  of  this  politico-social  educational  organization,  and 
noting  that  the  educational  principle  involved  throughout  is,  invariably, 
"  learning  by  doing,"  we  may    say  that  it  is    admirably  adapted — 

1.  To  make  boys  and  girls  acquainted  with  the  practical  workings 
of  the  poHtical  machinery  of  representative  government. 

2.  To  train  them  in  the  actual  use  of  the  ballot  as  a  means  for  really 
modifying  their  environment,  thus  establishing  their  confidence  in  and 
respect  for  this  instrument  for  recording  the  popular  will. 

3.  To  develop  the  idea  of  social  service  and  responsibility,  as  well 
as  to  inculcate  a  lofty  civic  spirit. 

The  theory  of  government  and  the  complexity  of  administrative 
machinery  cannot  begin  to  be  appreciated  by  our  citizens  unless  they 
receive  much  practical  training.  Text-book  study  is  astonishingly  inade- 
quate. Come  face  to  face  with  any  phase  of  political  or  governmental 
procedure,  and  see  if  it  is  an  easy  matter  to  describe  step  by  step  the 
modus  operandi  of  carrying  it  into  execution.  It  is  small  wonder  that  a 
population  so  inadequately  trained  as  ours  can  be  easily  duped  or  its 
will  thwarted  and  its  ballot  rendered  powerless  by  unscrupulous  politi- 
cians. It  is  not  remarkable,  either,  that  with  many  people  confidence 
in  the  value  of  the  ballot  has  been  weakened.  But  let  a  generation  or 
two  of  our  young  people  come  up  through  a  system  where  day  after  day 
they  find  that  their  ballots  do  amount  to  something,  and  are  continually 
modifying  their  environment,  and  they  will  not  be  so  likely  to  say,  when 
they  reach  the  age  of  twenty-one,  and  are  called  on  to  participate  in  the 
government  of  the  nation,  "  What  is  the  use  of  voting?  We  can  do 
nothing.  It  is  all  cut  and  dried  for  us,  and  everything  predetermined  by 
bosses  and  manipulators  before  we  can  get  into  the  voting-booth." 


THE  BOY   IN   THE   CITY 
A  Country  School  and  Camp  for  City  Boys 

MR.  EDWARD  A.  BENNER 

PRINCIPAL  WELLESLEY  SCHOOL  FOR  BOYS,  WELLESLEY,  MASSACHUSETTS 

In  offering  the  present  paper  I  wish  to  be  understood  as  giving  the 
results  of  my  own  experience,  and  I  do  not  desire  to  appear  as  an  advo- 
cate of  a  special  plan  of  an  education  which,  under  other  conditions  and 
in  other  hands,  might  fail  to  realize  as  much  good  as  the  present  in- 
stance may  seem  to  indicate. 

The  Wellesley  Camp  was  undertaken  seven  years  ago,  on  Lake 
Wentworth,  in  New  Hampshire,  and  is  now  permanently  settled  on 
the  east  shore  of  Ossipee  Lake,  in  New  Hampshire.  Nowhere  has 
nature  a  greater  charm,  nor  anywhere  are  her  features  more  inspiring 
than  here  where  woods,  a  level  expanse  of  water,  the  mountains  and 
the  plain,  constitute  the  perfection  of  natural  beauty  and  offer  a  per- 
manent inspiration  and  joy  to  the  mind.  The  contrast  of  such  scenes 
with  the  dungeon  life  of  the  city  is  very  impressive  upon  the  mind  of 
a  boy.     He  never  saw  before,  it  may  be,  so  wide  a  sky. 

The  Wellesley  Camp  has  always  required  of  the  campers  a  certain 
amount  of  work.  Life  is  reduced  to  simple  elements.  There  we  can- 
not press  a  button  and  have  a  machine  do  the  rest.  \Ye  do  not  think 
it  well  to  have  an  Ethiopian  in  a  white  suit  wait  upon  the  whims  of 
the  boys.  Under  tactful  and  inspiring  men,  boys  love  to  work,  and 
the  instances  are  rare  in  which  they  do  not  submit  to  it  willingly.  The 
rooms  must  be  swept,  the  verandas  kept  clear,  the  grounds  pohced 
and  improved,  the  wood  cut  and  brought,  water  carried  perhaps  from 
the  spring,  vegetables  prepared  for  the  cook,  tables  waited  upon, 
boats  calked  and  painted,  a  flag-staff  cut  and  trimmed.  The  Welles- 
ley campers  do  all  these  things,  and  they  like  it. 

In  educating  resourceful  men,  nothing  has  ever  taken  the  place 
of  the  farm.  We  imitate  it  feebly  in  our  sloyd  schools,  basketry,  pyrog- 
raphy,  arts  and  crafts  devices;  but  it  was  nature  and  the  farm  that 
made  the  men.  No  system  of  heroic  play  like  basket-ball  or  football 
can  equally  discipUne  the  spirit.  Men  and  boys  grow  strong  by  the 
submission  of  the  soul  to  difficult  and  sometimes  hateful  labor.  A 
camp  and  a  school,  too,  if  possible  should  so  instruct  boys  that  they 
would  feel  it  a  point  of  honor  to  attack  any  kind  of  necessary  work. 
Does  anybody  remember  Xenophon's  story  of  the  Anabasis,  and  the 

439 


440  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

joyous  leadership  of  the  Young  Pretender?  There  is  in  it  a  passage 
that  is  fine  for  every  boy  to  dig  out  of  the  Greek  by  himself  It  is 
where  Cyrus's  wagons  stuck  in  the  mud.  When  he  saw  the  troops 
working  too  leisurely  to  extricate  them,  he  turned  as  in  rage,  and  com- 
manded the  proudest  nobles  about  him  to  get  the  wagons  out.  Here, 
says  Xenophon,  was  a  chance  to  see  discipline.  Tearing  off  their 
splendid  cloaks  where  each  man  stood,  they  hurled  themselves  in  their 
rich  garments  down  the  incline  as  one  would  run  for  victory;  and, 
leaping  with  their  chains  and  bracelets  into  the  mud,  lifted  and  lugged 
the  wagons  out.  That  should  be  the  spirit  of  our  well-bom  and  high- 
bred American  boys. 

In  all  discussions  of  the  deterioration  of  American  citizenship 
through  the  immigration  of  imdesirable  foreigners,  we  are  assured 
that  our  American  ideals  in  education,  business,  and  social  life  are 
able  to  assimilate  and  redeem  this  vast  mass  of  strangers.  Not  Ameri- 
can ideals  alone,  but  change  of  climate  and  soil  and  the  necessity  of 
adapting  themselves  to  new  conditions  so  that  they  may  earn  a  living, 
produce  such  a  mighty  renewal  in  these  foreigners  who  come  to  us. 
Change  of  scene  in  the  limits  of  our  own  country  has  done  the  same 
for  the  sons  and  daughters  of  the  East,  who  have  made  their  homes 
in  the  middle  or  far  West.  Any  family  or  race,  kept  for  many  genera- 
tions in  the  cradle  of  its  origin,  inevitably  decUnes.  Our  own  people 
are  kept  progressive  and  vital  largely  by  the  mingling  of  elements 
widely  separated  in  locality  and  manners.  A  given  brand  of  wheat 
or  potatoes  will  yield  satisfactory  crops  in  a  given  locality  for  a  series 
of  years,  and  then  the  seed  will  run  out.  The  same  grain  or  tuber, 
transplanted  to  a  different  locality,  will  often  produce  beyond  behef. 
The  analogy  is  significant.  Physicians  employ  the  fact  when  they 
send  sick  people  to  California  "for  a  change  of  air."  But  who  rea- 
lizes that  the  same  "  change  of  air  "  may  be  of  inestimable  value  to 
young  persons  during  their  period  of  growth  ? 

The  chief  result  of  the  change  physically  seemed  to  be  a  great  in- 
crease of  vitality.  They  seemed  more  aUve  than  when  they  came, 
abler  to  do  things,  more  willing  to  attack  a  difficult  labor.  This  im- 
provement was  especially  marked  in  the  case  of  one  or  two  delicate 
boys.  One,  for  example,  was  so  frail  that  his  mother  had  hardly  per- 
mitted him  to  draw  a  deep  breath,  lest  some  injury  should  result. 
He  became  so  rugged  that  after  a  few  weeks  he  was  able  to  dance  up  and 
down  the  five-mile  cUmb  of  Chocorua,  ten  miles  in  all,  Hke  a  moun- 
tain goat. 

But  the  most  significant  result  of    this  close  contact  with  nature 


THE  BOY  IN  THE  CITY  441 

is  a  moral  one.  The  whole  scheme  seems  to  make  the  boys  more 
serious  and  more  m.anly.  The  appeal  to  justice  and  honor  comes 
closer  to  them  than  it  did  before.  To  sit  by  a  little  camp-fire  and 
view  the  immeasurable  darkness  around  and  above;  to  be  within  a 
forest  where  one  might  be  lost;  to  see  the  spread  of  deep,  engulfing 
water;  to  feel  the  vast  solitude  aroimd,  all  these  make  a  boy  feel  his 
insignificance,  and  nothing  is  better  for  a  boy.  Especially  is  this  true 
of  the  city  boy,  who  is  too  apt  to  consider  himself  the  model  and  cyno- 
sure of  the  world. 

The  studies  are  arranged  so  that  the  afternoons  can  be  given  up 
to  out-door  occupation.  Rowing  or  sailing  with  the  masters,  a  great 
variety  of  excursions  by  boat  or  afoot,  mountain-climbing,  and  occa- 
sional coaching  trips,  diversified  by  the  various  games  on  the  play- 
ground, form  the  diversions  of  the  boys.  To  build  a  camp-fire  in  a 
big  stone  oven,  to  cook  potatoes  in  it,  are  among  the  supreme  joys  of 
boys  12  and  14  years  old  and  under. 

The  condition  most  favorable  for  study  and  for  growth  is  the  silence, 
and  the  absence  of  artificial  distractions.  In  the  wilderness  of  the 
great  Ossipee  there  are  no  footlights  and  no  kinematoscopes.  The 
"  elevated  "  no  longer  thunders  its  din  into  your  ears,  and  the  rare 
whistle  of  the  locomotive  is  faint  and  far.  No  discord  enters  to  mar 
the  sweet  sights  and  sounds  of  nature.  The  din  and  excitement  of 
the  city  bear  hard  upon  children,  although  they  often  appear  to  pass 
unnoticed  by  them. 

The  excitements  of  city  life  are  indurating  to  the  intellect  and  the 
disposition.  No  child  can  steadily  do  his  best  when  subjected  to  their 
influence,  and  positive  injury  is  likely  to  result  unless  relief  and  pro- 
tection are  afi'orded  them. 

The  simple  Hfe  is  needed  most  of  all  by  children  to  produce  cahn- 
ness  of  nerve  and  poise  of  character.  The  decisions  of  the  mind  are 
clearer  amid  simple  conditions.  The  greatest  hope  of  city-bred  chil- 
dren is  to  give  them  deep  drafts  of  country  Ufe;  to  engage  their  activi- 
ties in  the  labors  incident  to  it,  and  to  give  them  free  scope  and  en- 
couragement in  the  observations  and  studies  of  nature. 


THE   JUVENILE   CITY  LEAGUE   OF   NEW  YORK 
MR.  WILLIAM  C.  LANGDON 

PRATT  INSTITUTE,  BROOKLYN,     NEW    YORK 

The  Juvenile  City  League  is  an  organization  of  street-boys  in  New 
York  City  with  the  purpose  of  training  them  toward  a  true  attitude  of 
citizenship.  It  does  this  by  getting  them  to  look  out  for  such  simple 
matters  in  connection  with  the  city  departments  as  are  appropriate 
for  boys  living  in  a  city;  for  example,  keeping  their  streets  clean;  the 
removal  of  dead  cats  and  dogs;  the  waste  of  water  at  the  faucets  in 
the  tenement  hallway  sinks;  miscellaneous  spitting;  the  proper  separa- 
tion and  disposal  of  garbage,  ashes,  and  rubbish. 

The  work  was  started  in  June,  1903,  in  a  district  of  the  West  Side 
of  the  borough  of  Manhattan  (New  York  proper).  It  originated 
with  Miss  Catherine  S.  Leverich,  chairman  of  the  Committee  on 
Streets  of  the  Woman's  Municipal  League  of  New  York.  She  has 
raised  the  money  for  the  work,  and  in  fact  has  personally  contributed 
most  of  it  herself.  The  speaker  has  been  in  charge  of  the  work  as 
its  director,  having  the  assistance,  at  various  times,  of  from  one  to 
four  workers  in  each  of  the  league's  four  districts. 

Miss  Leverich  got  her  idea  for  the  league  from  Colonel  George  E. 
Waring,  who  instituted  clubs  amongst  the  children  of  New  York  to 
interest  and  guide  them  in  helping  to  keep  the  streets  clean.  The 
idea  of  the  present  league  at  the  start  was  to  revive  these  street-clean- 
ing clubs  with  the  development  of  enlarging  the  scope  of  the  work  to 
include  matters  concerning  other  city  departments, — the  board  of 
health,  the  department  of  tenement-houses,  of  water,  of  charities, 
as  well  as  the  department  of  street-cleaning.  The  question  was. 
How  can  the  boys  of  New  York  be  brought  to  look  at  civic  duties 
from  the  right  point  of  view — that  of  doing  them — and  to  feel  that 
the  city  is  a  great  home  community  and  business  firm,  in  which,  when 
they  reach  the  proper  age,  they  will  be  partners;  that,  taken  literally, 
they  are  to  be  members  of  the  corporation  of  the  city  of  New  York. 
In  answer,  the  Juvenile  City  League  set  itself  to  work  out  by  experi- 
ment such  a  scheme  of  civic  work  for  the  boys  of  New  York  City  as 
might  be  wholesome  in  character  and  adaptable  to  the  varying  con- 
ditions— local,  financial,  racial — of  the  different  neighborhoods  in  all 
the  five  boroughs  of  Greater  New  York. 

The  athletic  life  is  the  boy's  normal  state  of  existence.     The  proper 

442 


THE  JUVENILE  CITY  LEAGUE  OF  NEW  YORK  443 

purpose  of  the  league,  therefore,  is  not  to  make  of  its  members  ab- 
sorbed little  civic  specialists,  but  to  make  the  boy's  natural  athletic 
life  develop  into  good  citizenship.  The  league  has  spent  much  of 
its  time  and  energy  in  athletics.  Baseball,  basket-ball,  and  boxing 
have  predominated.  For  e.xample,  last  summer  we  had  a  regular 
baseball  league  organized,  which  played  off  a  series  of  sixty-four  games. 
Each  team  represented  one  block.  Each  block  had  to  sign  its  players, 
and  professional  regulations  were  pretty  closely  adhered  to.  At  first 
the  games  very  much  resembled  a  vigorous  debating  tournament, 
the  subjects  of  discussion  being  the  umpire's  decisions,  and  of  course 
every  game  ended  in  a  free  fight,  "  to  prove  it."  But  by  the  time  the 
summer  was  half  over,  the  umpire's  decision,  never  mind  how  ob- 
jectionable, was  never  questioned,  and  even  after  the  last,  the  cham- 
pionship game,  there  was  no  disturbance. 

The  civic  instruction  is  given  principally,  through  a  series  of  cards, 
which  are  issued  to  the  members  of  the  league  about  once  in  three 
weeks.  The  cards  are  7  by  9  inches  in  size,  of  good  lasting  material,  and 
have  a  hole  near  the  top  to  hang  them  on  the  wall.  The  subjects  so 
far  treated  are: 

1.  Keep  your  street  clean. 

2.  Take  care  of  your  garbage. 

3.  Colonel  George  E.  Waring. 

4.  Put  only  ashes  in  your  ash-can. 

5.  Have  gentlemanly  manners. 

6.  Tie  up  rubbish  in  bundles. 

7.  Help  clean  away  the  snow. 

8.  Report  dead  animals  for  removal. 

These  cards  give  a  few  simple  directions  as  to  what  to  do;  then, 
under  the  word  "  Because,"  printed  in  large  letters,  brief  reasons 
therefor,  and  finally,  in  smaller  type,  a  paragraph  of  pertinent  informa- 
tion on  the  subject;  as,  for  example,  in  No.  2,  what  becomes  of  the 
garbage,  how  it  is  taken  away  and  made  into  marketable  products, 
or,  in  No.  4,  how  the  ashes  are  taken  to  Riker's  Island  to  make  land 
for  the  city  at  a  saving  of  probably  $2,000  per  acre.  At  the  bottom 
of  every  card  is  the  suggestion,  "  Keep  this  card  carefully.  Hang 
it  up  in  your  home."  The  third  card  in  the  series  gives  a  short  account 
of  the  life  of  Colonel  Waring,  with  a  portrait  produced  from  "  Street- 
Cleaning  and  Its  Effects,"  by  permission  of  Doubleday,  Page,  and  Com- 
pany, and  an  estimate  of  his  work  quoted  from  an  address  by  the 
present  commissioner,  John  McGaw  Woodbury.  These  cards  are 
prepared  with  the  assistance  of  the  experts  of  the  departments  con- 


444  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

cerned,  and  usually  had  the  benefit  of  the  criticism  of  the  commis- 
sioner before  being  printed.  The  effort  has  been  to  make  them  as 
simple  as  possible,  but  absolutely  correct. 

Distributed  to  the  boys  through  their  gang-leaders  and  club  captains, 
these  cards  were  valued  by  the  boys  and  by  their  families,  and  they 
were  kept.  In  certain  specific  instances  we  know  of  cards  that  have 
been  kept  in  the  homes  for  over  a  year,  for  over  a  year  and  a  half. 
For  example,  when  it  was  deemed  advisable  to  have  a  reissue  of  some 
ear  her  card,  frequently  boys  have  come  up  and  said,  "  I  have  that. 
I  have  Nos.  i,  2,  3,.  and  5.     Can  I  get  4?" 

The  effectiveness  of  the  work  is  considerable.  For  example,  take 
card  No.  i,  "  Keep  your  street  clean,"  when  first  issued,  the  boys 
would  keep  their  block  quite  immaculate  for  about  two  weeks — the 
average  lifetime  of  their  civic  enthusiasm  for  one  particular  thing. 
Then  it  would  be  time  to  issue  card  No.  2.  But  there  was  almost 
always  a  decided  general  improvement,  such  that  the  foreman  of  the 
street-cleaning  department  would  notice. 

The  league  is  now  concentrating  its  attention  upon  the  establish- 
ment of  work  of  this  character  permanently  in  the  city's  educational 
system.  Private  money  can  well  work  out  the  scheme  and  devise  methods 
on  a  unit  basis,  but  private  money  cannot  of  course  carry  such  work 
on  any  scale  sufficiently  large  to  accomplish  substantial  results  in  the 
civic  training  of  the  boyhood  of  the  city.  How  can  this  work  be  car- 
ried on  in  the  pubhc  schools?  No  argument  is  needed  on  the  point 
that  the  board  of  education  is  the  proper  agency  to  carry  on  this  work. 
It  is  pubhc  work;  it  is  educational  work;  the  schools  already  have,  in 
large  measure,  the  working  force  and  equipment  for  much  of  the  work 
in  their  teachers  and  playgrounds  and  roof-gardens.  None  the  less, 
to  be  practicable,  to  stand  any  chance  of  adoption,  the  scheme  pre- 
sented to  the  board  of  education  must  be  one  which  will  not  require 
any  material  change  in  the  curriculum,  will  not  add  to  the  labors  of 
the  already  over-worked  teachers,  and  will  not  entail  very  much  addi- 
tionaFexpense. 


FEDERATING  CHURCH  WORK  FOR  BOYS  IN  LARGE  CITIES 

PROFESSOR  EDWIN  J.  HOUSTON,  Ph.  D. 

PRESIDENT    OF   THE   BOYS'   BROTHERHOOD    OF   PHILADELPHIA;    PRESIDENT    OF    THE 
PHILADELPHIA  ALLIANCE  OF  WORKERS  WITH  BOYS 

Church  work  among  boys  will  be  greatly  improved  by  its  intelligent 
federation.  This  federation  should  not  only  begin  in  the  Sunday 
school  of  each  church,  but  should,  I  think,  begin  in  each  class  of  the 
Sunday  school. 

Regarding  the  Sunday  school  of  each  church  as  a  unit,  this  unit 
properly  consists  of  a  number  of  smaller  units  consisting  of  the  separate 
classes.  The  best  work  to  be  accompHshed  will  depend  to  a  great  ex- 
tent upon  the  intelUgence  and  care  that  have  been  exercised  in  forming 
such  classes.  Instead  of  leaving  the  membership  of  each  class  a  matter 
of  chance,  as  is  unfortunately  too  often  done,  the  proper  selection  of  its 
members  should  be  regarded  as  a  matter  of  the  greatest  importance. 
This  selection  should  include  the  important  question  of  age,  mental 
ability  and  social  position,  this  last  consideration  being  handled  del- 
icately. As  far  as  possible,  the  members  of  a  Sunday  school  class 
should  be  selected  from  the  same  type  of  boys.  Of  course,  this  will 
not  always  be  possible,  but  it  is  at  least  advisable. 

The  object  of  carefully  selecting  the  members  of  each  class  is  for 
the  purpose  of  associating  together  in  each  class  boys  who  will  be  as 
nearly  as  possible  associated  together  during  the  week-days  in  their 
work,  in  their  games,  exercises,  etc.  In  all  classes  where  such  a  unit 
is  established,  the  work  of  the  Sunday  school  will  go  on  much  more 
smoothly,  the  attendance  will  be  better,  and  the  interest  in  the  work 
will  be  greatly  increased. 

The  proper  imits  having  been  formed  in  the  separate  classes,  an 
endeavor  should  then  be  made  to  federate  the  work  of  these  classes  in 
each  Sunday  school.  Limiting  my  remarks  now  to  the  question  of 
the  boys'  side  of  the  school,  I  think  it  would  be  advisable,  as  far  as 
possible,  to  establish  such  a  federation  of  classes  in  the  school  as  will 
permit  some  of  the  boys  taking  part  in  the  management  of  the  school, 
that  is,  forming  its  ofl&cers. 

After  the  work  of  federation  in  the  Sunday  school  has  been  effected, 
the  more  important  question  arises  of  federating  the  boys'  work  imder- 
taken  in  each  church  throughout  the  city.  This  federation  can  either 
be  denominational  or  interdenominational.     So  far  as  boys'  work  is 

445 


446  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

concerned,  I  think  it  will  be  found  that  the  advantages  will  lie  mainly 
on  the  side  of  some  kind  of  interdenominational  federation. 

All  successful  work  for  the  betterment  of  the  growing  boy,  whether 
undertaken  by  the  church  or  by  organization  from  outside  the  church, 
must  necessarily  be  based  on  the  boy's  peculiarities  or  characteristics. 
I  will  refer  only  to  some  of  the  more  important  of  these. 

1.  The  boy  must  be  provided  with  playmates  or  co-workers.  Call 
them  what  you  will,  they  are  what  the  boy  calls  his  crowd  or  gang. 
The  boy  is  not  a  solitary  individual,  but  likes  crowds.  These  he  will 
find;  so  that  it  is  of  prime  importance,  in  the  first  place,  to  provide  for 
him  a  safe  crowd  of  playfellows.  In  all  locaHties,  especially  in  large 
cities,  it  is  by  no  means  an  easy  matter  to  provide  unobjectionable 
playmates.  It  is  unsafe,  however,  to  leave  such  selection  to  the  boys 
themselves.  The  best  work  for  boys  is  that  which  carefully  considers 
this  need. 

2.  The  boy  likes  to  take  part  in  any  work  that  is  undertaken  on 
his  behalf.  The  most  successful  work  is  that  in  which  the  boy  him- 
self takes  a  large  part.  In  such  cases,  however,  the  limitations  of 
childhood  must  be  carefully  borne  in  mind.  In  other  words,  the  work 
must  be  properly  directed  by  adults,  who  constitute  the  court  of  final 
resort  for  all  cases  the  boys  themselves  are  unable  properly  to  handle. 

3.  The  greatest  need  of  the  growing  boy  is  to  afford  him  some 
opportunity  for  expending  that  wonderful  excess  of  energy  with  which 
nature  has  supplied  him,  and  which  is  absolutely  necessary  for  his 
continued  successful  growth.  As  you  all  know,  one  of  the  best  marked 
characteristics  of  the  growing  boy  is  his  restless  activity.  He  is  fairly 
bubbling  over  with  energy,  too  often  misdirected,  and  generally  thought- 
lessly expended.  It  is  this  characteristic  of  boyhood  that  makes  the 
boy  so  undesirable  a  companion  to  all  who  fail  to  understand  him. 
But  I  think  it  needs  no  argument  to  prove  that  the  greatest  part  of 
what  passes  with  many  as  the  natural  wickedness  or  innate  depravity 
of  boys  is  only  the  necessity  that  exists  for  the  boy  to  indulge  in  what 
I  have  ventured  to  call  "  physiological  explosions."  Such  explosions, 
or  excessive  expenditures  of  energy,  are  absolutely  necessary  for  his 
proper  growth,  and  so  far  from  regarding  them  as  evidences  of  total 
depravity,  I  hail  them  as  among  the  best  evidences  of  something  of 
value  in  the  boy;    i.  e.,  energy  that  requires  only  inteUigent  direction. 

Now,  for  successful  work  among  boys  in  the  Sunday  school,  all  of 
these  peculiarities  must  be  taken  into  account.  This  is  the  reason  for 
carefully  determining  the  membership  of  the  separate  classes,  for 
federating  the  classes  into  a  unit   at  the  Sunday  school,  and  subse- 


CHURCH  WORK  FOR  BOYS  IN  LARGE  CITIES  447 

quently  for  federating  the  separate  Sunday  schools  of  the  entire  city 
into  a  larger  unit,  either  in  the  form  of  a  denominational  or  an  inter- 
denominational union. 

But  it  is  the  work  which  must  be  carried  on  outside  of  the  Sunday 
school,  during  the  week-days,  that  it  is  most  difficult  for  the  Sunday 
school  to  provide,  and  this  especially  as  regards  the  necessity  for  the 
boy  to  safely  find  a  vent  for  his  superfluous  energy,  ^\^lere  the  church 
has  been  properly  provided  with  a  parish  house  or  other  church  build- 
ing equipped  with  a  gymnasium,  etc.,  the  work  can,  to  a  certain  extent, 
be  carried  on  in  such  places.  There  are,  however,  certain  serious 
objections  that  have  been  found  to  be  invariably  connected  with  work 
of  this  character.     Some  of  the  most  important  of  these  are  as  follows : 

1.  The  necessity  for  separate  gymnasium  buildings  for  men  and 
yoimg  boys.  Whatever  advantages  may  exist  from  a  theoretical  stand- 
point in  having  one  gymnasium  where  both  adults  and  young  boys 
can  exercise,  the  experience  of  nearly  every  one,  I  believe,  has  shown 
that  work  under  these  conditions  will  not  be  successful.  It  is  possible, 
and  indeed  advisable,  to  carry  on  such  work  for  men  and  the  older 
boys,  say  boys  over  seventeen  or  eighteen,  but  for  boys  between  ten 
and  seventeen,  a  necessity  exists  for  separate  buildings. 

2.  A  lack  of  the  crowd  element,  or  of  a  sufficient  number  of  play- 
fellows. Where  a  separate  gymnasium  or  recreation  house  has  been 
established  in  any  Sunday  school,  much  good  work  can  be  done  among 
its  boys.  As  a  rule,  however,  such  work,  if  limited  to  the  boys  immedi- 
ately connected  with  the  Sunday  School  and  church,  will  not  be  very 
successful,  nor  is  the  reason  difficult  to  find.  The  element  of  the 
crowd  will  generally  be  lacking.  There  are  very  few  Sunday  schools 
that  have  a  sufficient  attendance  to  make  such  gymnasium  attractive. 

3.  A  lack  of  opportunities  for  competition.  As  soon  as' a  class  of 
boys  makes  a  certain  advance  in  gymnastic  work,  a  natural  desire 
exists  to  compete  with  other  classes  of  boys.  For  this  purpose  some 
kind  of  federation  of  the  Sunday  school  associations  must  be  made. 

4.  The  lack  of  an  athletic  field  or  grounds  where  such  games  as 
baseball,  football,  cricket,  etc.,  can  be  played.  Our  large  cities  are 
generally  deficient  in  large  playgrounds  for  the  children  and  athletic 
fields  for  the  boys.  Even  if  such  a  field  were  provided  for  individual 
churches,  the  lack  of  the  crowd  element  which  could  best  be  obtamed 
by  federation  would  be  a  serious  drawback  to  the  work. 

But  I  would  not  limit  the  federation  of  the  church  work  to  the 
gymnastic  side.  There  are  other  divisions  of  boys'  work,  such  as  find 
expression  in  the  camping  club,  the  debating  club,  the  camera  club, 


448  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

the  glee  club,  etc.,  that  equally  require  federation  for  their  best  re- 
sults. 

Let  us  inquire  what  has  already  been  done  in  the  direction  of  the 
federation  of  church  work  among  the  class  of  boys  that  attend  Sunday 
schools.  I  believe  the  most  important  work  that  has  been  done  in 
this  direction  can  be  divided  into  the  following  classes,  —  i.e.: 

1.  Denominational  federation,  including  the  Brotherhood  of  St. 
Andrew  and  the  Brotherhood  of  Andrew  and  Philip. 

2.  The  various  Junior  Christian  Endeavor  Societies  of  the  differ- 
ent evangelical  churches. 

3.  The  various  Junior  Ep worth  Leagues  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal and  other  churches. 

4.  The  Kjiights  of  St.  Arthur  of  the  different  evangelical  churches. 

5.  The  companies  of  the  Boys'  Brigades  of  the  different  evangeh- 
cal  churches. 

6.  The  Total  Abstinence  Beneficial  Associations  of  the  Roman 
Catholic  churches. 

7.  The  Boys'  Department  of  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Associa- 
tion. I  do  not  think  that  any  marked  federation  has  been  as  yet  ac- 
complished in  this  work,  and  I  believe  that  such  federation  would  be  a 
great  improvement. 

8.  The  Boys'  Brotherhood  of  Philadelphia,  that  is  now  in  opera- 
tion in  some  form  or  other  in  different  parts  of  this  country. 

I  believe,  however,  that  the  work  of  all  these  organizations  would 
be  greatly  improved  if  it  were  brought  into  closer  contact  with  the 
church,  so  as  to  permit,  in  the  carrying  on  of  the  work,  its  direction  by 
some  representative  of  the  different  churches  represented  in  the  mem- 
bership. 


THE  BROOKLYN  CHURCH  ATHLETIC  LEAGUE 
GEORGE  J.  FISHER,  M.  D. 

PHYSICAL    DIRECTOR   CENTRAL   YOUNG   MEn's  CHRISTIAN  ASSOCIATION, 
BROOKLYN,    NEW  YORK 

The  great  question  iii  the  Sunday  school  seems  to  be, "'  How  can 
we  keep  these  boys  interested?"  In  order  to  be  effective  in  boys' 
work,  the  Sunday  school  must  reach  him  during  the  week.  If  it  can 
have  something  to  do  with  his  games,  in  which  he  is  tremendously 
enthusiastic,  it  will  put  the  church  in  a  right  relation  with  the  boy,  and 
he  will  become  interested  in  church  work. 

The  Sunday  school  should  not  be,  as  some  one  has  said,  "  a  society 
for  sitting  still,"  for  boys  were  not  made  to  sit  still.  They  have  their 
energy  to  expend,  and  are  bound  to  use  it  either  for  good  or  evil. 

Boys'  clubs  and  societies  have  been  formed  by  the  churches  to 
guide  this  energy  in  the  right  direction,  and  while  some  of  these  have 
been  successful,  others  have  fallen  short  of  what  they  felt  they  should 
have  accomphshed.  Why?  Because  the  men  behind  the  movement, 
as  a  rule,  have  not  had  the  experience.  It  was  from  no  fault  of  theirs, 
for  they  had  not  had  the  opportunity  to  derive  the  necessary  knowledge. 

The  churches  in  Brooklyn  that  had  felt  the  need  of  assistance  ap- 
pealed to  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association,  from  time  to  time, 
to  furnish  trained  men  to  take  charge  of  gymnastic  and  calisthenic 
classes. 

This  demand  grew  so  great,  that  it  was  thought  wise  to  form  an 
organization  that  would  bind  all  of  the  Sunday  schools  together  for 
their  mutual  benefit.  The  superintendents  were  called  in  conference 
to  map  out  a  plan  whereby  their  needs  could  best  be  met,  and  the 
outcome  of  this  conference  was  the  organization  of  the  Sunday  School 
Athletic  League  of  Brooklyn. 

To  quote  from  the  constitution:  "The  object  of  the  league  shall 
be:  I.  To  work  for  the  betterment  and  the  enlargement  of  the  Sun- 
day schools  in  Brooklyn,  by  developing  character  through  athletic 
contests,  and  by  making  Sunday  school  attendance  a  condition  of 
membership.  2.  To  maintain  a  high  standard  of  honesty,  courtesy, 
and  manliness  in  athletic  sports.  3.  To  establish  scientific  physical 
training  in  the  Sunday  schools.  4.  To  secure  and  maintain  a  genuine 
amateur  basis  in  Sunday  school  sport.  5.  To  institute,  regulate,  and 
govern  inter-Sunday  school  gymnastic  and  athletic  meets. 

449 


450  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

The  league  had  for  its  organizer  Dr.  George  J.  Fisher,  physical 
director  of  the  Central  Branch  of  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Associa- 
tion of  Brooklyn,  a  man  peculiarly  adapted,  through  his  experience 
with  boys  and  gymnasium  work,  to  pilot  such  an  organization.  It 
has  been  through  his  knowledge  and  untiring  work  that  the  organiza- 
tion has  been  brought  to  the  position  that  it  now  holds,  and  all  credit 
is  due  to  his  enthusiasm. 

The  first  step  was  the  formation  of  various  sections,  representing 
the  different  phases  of  athletic  sports  and  superintended  by  specialists. 
For  illustration,  the  league  has  sections  on  caUsthenics  and  gymnas- 
tics, bowling,  basket-ball,  baseball,  aquatics,  track  and  field  sports. 
Each  of  these  is  under  the  charge  of  a  committee  composed  of  men 
who  are  experts  on  the  subject. 

The  gymnastic  committee  has  formulated  a  set  of  cahsthenic  and 
dumb-bell  drill  exercises  for  use  of  the  Sunday  schools,  so  that  all  will 
be  working  on  identical  lines.  This  same  committee  has  provided  a 
set  of  standard  tests  for  each  group  of  boys  between  certain  ages,  as 
follows : 

Boys  —  12  to  14  years  of  age 

70  yards  potato  race  25  seconds 
Pull-up  6  times 

Broad  jump  5  feet  6  inches 

Juniors  —  14  to  16  years 

120  yards  potato  race  40  seconds 
Pull-up  8  times 

Running  high  jump  3  feet  10  inches 

Intermediate  —  16  to  18  years 

Quarter-mile  patoto  race  2  minutes  22  seconds 

Pull-up  10  times 
Running  high  jump  4  feet  2  inches 

Dip  7  times 

Every  boy  passing  these  tests,  that  are  made  at  a  stated  time,  re- 
ceives a  bronze  button  with  the  insignia  of  the  league  embossed  upon  it. 

Before  being  allowed  to  compete  in  any  meet,  the  scholar  must  first 
file  a  statement  with  the  secretary  that  he  is  an  amateur.  His  regis- 
tration blank  must  be  indorsed  by  the  pastor  and  superintendent  of  the 
Sunday  School  affirming  regular  membership  and  attendance  at  school 
for  four  consecutive  Sundays  before  registration  is  applied  for.  A 
certificate  from  a  physician  is  also  required,  stating  that  the  applicant 
is  physically  able  to  engage  in  competition.     If  a  scholar  desires  to 


THE  BROOKLYN  CHURCH  ATHLETIC  LEAGUE  451 

change  schools,  he  cannot  represent  the  school  he  has  last  entered, 
without  first  obtaining  a  written  release  from  his  former  superintendent. 
VVe  have  supplied  officers  for  the  local  athletic  meets,  have  organized 
basket-ball  and  bowling  tournaments  and  have  furnished  twelve  men 
to  various  Sunday  schools  as  teachers  of  gymnastics  and  managers  of 
boys'  clubs.  Some  of  these  are  paid,  some  have  no  remuneration.  It 
has  been  found  that  a  large  number  who  had  already  drifted  from  the 
Sunday  school  have  now  returned  to  resume  their  membership,  so  that 
they  may  be  entitled  to  the  privilege  of  the  athletic  league.  The  form 
of  registration  has  enabled  the  league  to  carry  on  all  the  athletic  work 
on  a  clean  sport  basis. 

Discussion 

MR.  E.  STAGG  WHITIN 

SPEYER   SCHOOL   SETTLEMENT,    NEW    YORK  CITY 

Let  me  outline,  in  a  word,  the  evolution  of  the  tendency  which 
has  brought  about  our  boy  problem.  Here  in  the  birth  place  of  free- 
dom and  the  schools,  I  need  not  emphasize  the  early  growth  of  either, 
save  to  note  that  both  went  hand  in  hand  until  the  great  industrial 
development.  By  leaps  and  bounds  our  nation  has  strode  into  the 
industrial  arena,  our  education  has  followed  fast,  yet  not  hand  in 
hand ,  as  it  should  have  done.  To-day,  educators,  as  well  as  social 
workers,  admit  that  there  is  a  lack  of  harmony.  In  the  old  Puritan 
days,  the  education,  which,  in  the  old  country,  had  been  given  to  but  a 
few,  was  given  the  many,  and  it  served  well  our  democratic  purpose. 
But  under  the  complex  condition  of  to-day,  this  type  of  education, 
developed  even  as  much  as  it  has  been,  has  proved  inadequate.  For 
some  years  now,  we  have  been  blind  to  this  truth,  and  have  sought  to 
correct  the  evils  resulting  from  this  lack  of  harmony,  instead  of  correct- 
ing our  education.  We  have  sought  to  establish,  not  for  the  criminal, 
but  for  the  normal  healthy  American  boy,  corrective  organizations  to 
correct  what  education  should  have  prevented.  By  degrees,  these 
corrective  forces  —  Boys'  Clubs,  Settlements,  Young  Men's  Christian 
Associations,  etc.,  which  have  sought  to  supplement  the  home,  the 
school,  and  the  church,  have  gradually  been  changing,  and  in  all  of 
them,  whatever  their  policy  may  be,  the  final  justification  of  their 
existence  is  that  they  are  educational.  Along  with  this  change  of  our 
corrective  work  to  more  preventive  and  educational  lines  has  come 
the  newer  social  philosophy  into  the  school  itself,  and  this  is  gradually, 
tending,  by  slow  degrees,  to  modify  the  spirit  and  the  work  of  the  school 
to  meet  the  needs  that  we  workers  with  boys  are  pointing  out. 


452  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

So  it  is  that  what  this  new  education,  is  bringing  about  in  the  schools 
is  of  vital  interest  to  those  of  us  who  are  engaged  in  these  kindred  fields. 
The  newer  aim  of  education,  that  of  adopting  the  child  to  his  social 
environment,  together  with  that  theory  of  interest  which  the  boy  worker 
has  used,  and  which  the  pedagogue  now  is  just  working  out  —  these 
two  principles  have  tended  to  make  a  radical  change  in  education. 
The  need  to-day  is  the  appUcation  of  these  theories  to  the  practice  in 
our  schools.  A  good  many  attempts  have  been  made,  and  the  crude 
results  can  be  seen.  These  theories  were  behind  John  Dewey  in  his 
work  at  Chicago,  and  are  the  justification  for  the  school  extension  as 
we  see  it  in  our  great  cities  to-day.  But  as  yet  it  is  only  by  the  quiet 
movement,  guided  by  investigation,  which  is  being  carried  on  by  the 
universities  and  normal  schools,  that  the  gradual  school  expansion  is 
coming  about.  At  Speyer  School  we  are  in  the  throes  of  it.  We  are 
commencing,  with  the  child  as  a  imit,  to  study  through  psychology  the 
needs  of  his  inner  nature,  and  through  sociological  methods  we  are  obtain- 
ing a  correct  appreciation  of  his  social  environments  and  needs.  This 
study  tends  to  point  out  a  need  for  a  more  social  organization  of  the 
class,  limited,  maybe,  to  the  definite  neighborhood,  under  a  teacher, 
who  is  a  neighborhood  visitor,  and  with  an  atmosphere  of  freedom  and 
spontaneity  in  the  method  of  recitation  which  develops  the  power  to 
reason  and  to  do.  An  entirely  new  idea  of  what  study  should  be  is 
coming  into  our  school  classes.  With  the  emphasis  on  this  social  value 
of  study  comes  the  need  of  not  only  many  eliminations  in  the  elementary 
school  curriculum,  but  also  some  additions  and  many  changes.  The 
study  of  the  environment  and  neighborhood  conditions  of  the  respective 
schools  will  lead  to  more  definite  functioning  of  this  work.  Even  the 
equipment  of  the  schoolroom  is  brought  into  question,  and  the  old 
desks  which  the  university,  the  trade  school,  and  the  normal  school 
have  long  since  discarded  are  destined  to  take  their  leave.  Not  only 
are  our  schoolrooms  warmed  by  pictures  and  flower-boxes,  but  an 
air  of  cheer  and  brightness  is  given  them  by  the  covering  of  blackboards 
and  the  use  of  a  few  draperies. 

Education  in  its  restricted  sense  has  for  some  time  grappled  with 
the  problem  of  the  boy  imder  fourteen  years  of  age  out  of  school  hours. 
It  naturally  will  control  his  work  in  school,  and  in  the  afternoon  club 
of  which  he  is  a  member.  The  thoughtful  teacher,  in  the  newer  type 
of  school,  can  solve  the  problem  of  the  boy  of  this  age  equally  well  with 
ourselves.  But  in  dealing  with  the  boy  beyond  the  fourteenth  year, 
if  we  omit  the  very  few  and  abnormally  bright  boys  who  go  to  high 
school,  the  pedagogue  has  little  experience.     What  is  to  be  done  for 


THE  BROOKLYN  CHURCH  ATHLETIC  LEAGUE  453 

the  working  boy  between  fourteen  and  twenty-one?  What  can  the 
elementary  school  do  in  preparing  him  for  that  time  ?  What  can  the 
evening  club  and  recreation  center  do  to  further  develop  him  so  that 
he  may  meet  the  needs  of  his  social  environment?  These  questions 
can  only  be  answered  by  a  clear  statement  of  the  principles  that  under- 
lie our  work. 


TEN  YEARS  OF  WORK  WITH  BOYS:  A  RETROSPECT 
AND  A  FORECAST 

REV.  WILLIAM  BYRON  FORBUSH,  Ph.  D. 

NEW    YORK    CITY,    FOUNDER    OF   THE    ALLIANCE 

It  used  to  be  customary  to  reckon  the  fundamental  agencies  of  edu- 
cation as  three;  namely,  the  home,  the  school,  and  the  church.  We 
now  count  four.  The  fourth  is  society.  Human  nature,  and  especially 
child  nature,  ought  to  be  educated,  not  only  individually,  but  also 
socially,  and  is  to  be  educated  not  only  by  society,  but  for  society. 

During  the  ten  years  of  the  Hfe  of  our  Alliance,  this  conviction  has 
had  its  most  rapid  growth,  especially  as  the  conviction  applies  to  boy- 
hood; and  therefore,  instead  of  relating  merely  the  uneventful  annals 
of  our  Alliance,  I  will  devote  this  brief  commemorative  paper  to  an  out- 
line of  ten  years'  development  of  social  work  with  boys. 

The  earHest  form  of  social  work  with  boys  in  the  country,  except 
in  reformatories  and  orphanages,  seems  to  have  been  the  so-called 
"  mass  clubs  "  for  street-boys.  Of  these  the  oldest  is  the  Salem  Fra- 
ternity, opened  in  1869.  These  clubs  rapidly  increased  for  a  time 
under  the  leadership  of  the  Alliance  of  Christian  Workers,  but  when 
that  went  to  pieces,  they  gradually  fell  away  for  lack  of  supervision  and 
trained  workers.  During  the  last  ten  years  their  growth  has  been  more 
gradual,  but  more  healthy.  There  are  now  about  80  of  them,  enrolling 
probably  about  25,000  street-boys.  They  were  once  little  more  than 
warm  meeting-places  and  game-rooms,  presided  over  by  "  moral 
policemen,"  but  many  of  them  now  have  classes,  gymnasia,  and  small 
group  clubs,  and  resemble  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  in  method,  save  that  they 
include  no  direct  rehgious  teaching,  and  they  reach  a  much  more  needy 
class,  especially  of  aliens,  Roman  Catholics  and  Jews.  Their  fatal 
defect  up  to  this  time  has  been  that,  unlike  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  not  having 
any  provision  for  young  men,  they  have  been  obliged  to  return  their 
members  at  the  most  critical  period  of  life  to  the  streets. 

These  street-boys'  clubs  are  still  sorely  in  need  of  fellowship  and 
supervision.  Owning,  as  yet,  little  but  personal  property,  they  are 
easily  overthrown  when  their  salaried  leader  is  removed.  Three  pos- 
sibiUties  seem  open  to  them.  The  International  Committee  of  the 
Y.  M.  C.  A.  might  take  them  on  as  a  special  branch  of  their  work, 
without  obliging  them  to  adopt  all  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  principles.  Local 
clubs  might  be  conducted  under  the  supervision  of  the  school  authori- 

454 


TEN  YEARS  OF  WORK  WITH  BOYS  455 

ties  as  an  extension  of  the  educational  system,  or,  what  seem  just  now 
the  more  hkely  result,  a  committee  analogous  to  that  which  directs 
the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  will  be  formed  to  direct  these  clubs. 

Next  in  order  of  time  to  the  mass  clubs  were  clubs  connected  with 
social  settlements,  churches,  or  private  philanthropy,  which,  because 
they  work  with  smaller  numbers  in  more  intimate  relations,  are  often 
called  group  clubs.  Those  in  settlements  are  very  numerous,  and  closely 
resemble  each  other.  They  are  drawn  entirely  from  the  neighborhood ; 
they  usually  are  attempts  to  reproduce  or  to  organize  some  sort  of  a 
natural  "  gang";  their  occupations  are  more  educational  than  those 
of  the  mass  clubs ;  and  they  usually  connect  closely  with  the  settlement 
gymnasium,  classes,  and  camp.  These  clubs  do  not  reach  so  needy 
a  class  as  the  mass  clubs  do,  because  the  street-boy  is  wary  of  cultured 
people  and  small  parlors,  but  they  do  a  more  thorough  work  than 
is  possible  in  the  other  sort.  These  two  kinds  of  clubs  used  to  feel 
little  sympathy  or  respect  for  each  other,  but  recently  the  mass  clubs 
are  seeking  to  multiply  their  groups  and  the  group  clubs  to  secure  in 
some  large  room,  especially  for  prospective  recruits,  something  of  the 
esprit  de  corps  of  the  larger  assemblage. 

The  churches  have  recently  become  very  much  awake  to  the  pos- 
sibilities of  group  club  work.  Ten  years  ago  the  Christian  Endeavor 
Society,  a  magnificient  organization,  profoundly  religious  in  purpose, 
and  predominantly  feminine  in  membership,  was  the  only  social  cen- 
ter for  youth.  But  now  the  Boys'  Brigade  has  had  its  growth  and 
partial  decline,  the  Knights  of  King  Arthur  is  increasing  in  strength, 
and  equipments  for  manual  training,  gymnastic  work,  and  free  play 
are  multiplied,  while  from  the  Christian  Endeavor  Society  and  the 
Sunday  school  as  direct  offshoots  little  social  groups  of  varying 
methods  are  being  organized  in  great  numbers,  whose  life  and  soul 
is  that  most  precious  power,  the  affection  and  patient  care  of  some 
devoted  adult  leader.  The  settlement  clubs  usually  have  a  local  ath- 
letic league.  The  church  clubs  are  beginning  to  follow  their  exam- 
ple. 

The  boys'  work  in  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  is  the  most  finely  organized. 
Its  growth  is  entirely  recent.  Some  300  associations  report  a  work 
for  boys,  and  they  reach  over  100,000  individuals.  The  Association 
has  both  the  mass  and  the  group  happily  united,  a  great  variety  of 
methods  of  approach,  usually  a  good  equipment  and  a  trained  leader, 
contact  with  boys  both  indoors  and  out,  winter  and  summer,  and  all 
united  by  a  holy  purpose  for  character.  The  Association  leaders  have 
been  so  prompt  to  see  the  dignity  and  importance  of  this  work  that 


4S6  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

it  has  already  outgrown  its  immaturities  and  many  of  its  faults.  It 
has,  as  has  no  other  organization,  employed  the  imselfish  moral  endeav- 
ors of  boys  for  each  other's  good.  It  has  also  begun  a  wise  effort  to 
affiliate  with  itself  organizations  outside  its  own  buildings,  such  as 
church  clubs,  athletic  clubs,  and  even  street  gangs.  This  endeavor  is 
most  praiseworthy  and  hopeful,  for  economizing  instrumentalities  and 
covering  the  local  field.  There  is  much  to  be  accomplished  in  this 
direction.  In  small  cities  I  believe  the  Association  is  still  often  the 
active  rival  of  the  churches,  depleting  many  churches  of  groups  of 
boys  who  could  be  more  thoroughly  and  intimately  governed  by  pas- 
tors or  church  workers  and  offering  some  opportunities,  especially  re- 
ligious, which  the  churches  should  be  forced  to  maintain.  In  such 
communities  the  function  of  the  Association  is,  I  insist,,  to  supple- 
ment the  churches,  not  to  displace  them,  in  work  with  boys.  On 
the  other  hand,  in  the  work  of  formal  religious  instruction  in  classes, 
by  manual  and  other  modem  methods,  the  Association  is  aheady 
setting  a  stimulating  and  provocative  example  in  Bible-study  for  boys 
to  the  church  schools. 

The  two  special  types  of  boys  which  our  programme  to-day  discusses 
are  touched  but  not  entirely  reached  by  any  methods  yet  described. 
The  problem  of  the  city  boy  is  yet  unsolved.  The  Y.  M.  C.  A.  hardly 
touches  any  class  below  that  of  the  schoolboy  and  the  working-boy. 
There  is  danger  that  the  mass  club  is,  by  its  very  increasing  worth,  draw- 
ing apart  from  the  street  arab  and  the  alien.  The  municipal  boys' 
clubs  and  play  centers,  connected  with  our  schools  in  our  largest  cities, 
are  the  new,  most  hopeful,  and  most  inclusive  agency.  The  sHght 
tendencies  which  they  already  show  to  feel  political  influence  and  to 
stand  for  low  athletic  ideas,  we  are  sanguine  to  believe,  are  local  and 
temporary.  Other  agencies  are  also  at  work.  The  glorious  play- 
ground movement,  newsboys'  leagues,  and  brass  bands,  the  crusades 
against  child  labor  and  the  tenement,  school  examination  and  care  of 
defectives  and  degenerates,  and  the  placing-out  agencies  for  sending 
boys  to  the  country,  are  all  preventive  means  of  untold  value.  The 
juvenile  court  and  the  probation  system,  the  state  school  and  the  state 
farm  in  place  of  the  reformatory  and  jail,  these  are  excellent  agencies 
for  reform  after  the  first  downward  step  has  been  taken.  But  so 
much  remains  to  be  done.  Knowledge  is  coming  to  us  of  the  actual 
conditions  of  newsboys'  lives  in  our  great  cities  and  of  a  few  un- 
selfish endeavors  that  have  been  made  to  get  down  into  "  the  gang  " 
and  win  it,  not  into  a  settlement  or  church,  whither  it  would  not  go, 
but  by  humanizing  it  and  lifting  it  up  even  in  its  own  haunts.     These 


TEN  YEARS  OF  WORK  WITH  BOYS  457 

facts  indicate  a  kind  of  work  demanding  sacrificing  energy  such  as 
neither  settlement  nor  church  can  often  command. 

The  problem  of  the  country  boy  is  equally  urgent.  Unless  he  is 
helped,  the  springs  of  the  nation's  life  will  be  fouled.  To  summarize 
a  wise  personal  letter  from  Prof.  D.  C.  Wells  of  Dartmouth,  who 
has  studied  and  wrought  at  this  problem:  there  are  not  enough  such 
boys  together  to  generate  any  heat;  they  are  so  well  known  that  they 
shrink  from  entering  any  club  that  has  a  recognized  moralizing  purpose; 
they  do  not  care  much  for  skilled  craftsmanship,  preferring  to  "  chance 
it  "  in  life;  and  the  number  of  institutions  that  can  reach  them  or  of 
individuals  who  want  to  is  small.  The  school  cannot.  The  church 
might,  but  will  it?  Some  kind  of  a  "  village  house,"  with  a  hearty 
social  life  and  a  workshop  linked  to  some  local  industry,  seems  to  be 
indicated  as  a  need  in  every  small  community  in  America. 

One  other  class  of  boys  remains  to  be  mentioned,  and  that  one 
which  is  increasing  in  numbers.  I  refer  to  sons  of  wealthy  parents. 
I  suppose  it  would  be  sufl5cient  to  arouse  sympathy  in  any  crusade  in 
their  behalf,  and  yet  no  one  who  has  any  genuine  Americanism  can 
deny  that  one  is  needed.  The  tendencies  of  the  rich  boy's  life  are  all 
towards  isolation,  contempt  for  poverty  and  toil,  and  a  conception  of 
himself  as  the  depositary  of  a  fortune  and  of  an  unhampered  chance 
to  know  the. world,  the  flesh,  and  the  devil.  The  only  cure  for  this, 
as  for  every  sort  of  boy,  is  to  catch  him  young.  Some  of  this  class 
are  in  Sunday  schools  and  can  be  brought  to  know  other  classes  of 
boys  before  they  get  to  be  snobs.  Some  of  them  are  getting  a  pretty 
good  idea  of  fellowship  in  schools  like  Groton  and  St.  Mark's,  and  at 
the  school  camps  in  New  Hampshire.  A  few  of  them  succeed  in  learn- 
ing the  joy  of  helping  the  other  fellow  when  they  get  to  manhood. 


THE  THIRD  CONVENTION 
PROCEEDINGS 


THE  MINUTES  OF  THE  THIRD  CONVENTION 

Boston,  Massachusetts,  February  12-16,  1905 
opening  service 
Sunday,  February  12th,  at  7:30  p.  m.,  "  A  Meeting  of  Devotion, 
Spiritual  Fellowship,  and  Inspiration,  "  preparatory  to  the  work  of  the 
Convention,  was  held  in  the  Old  South  Church,  Copley  Square.  Pro- 
fessor Francis  G.  Peabody,  D.  D.,  of  Harvard  University,  First  Vice- 
President  of  the  Association,  presided.  Addresses  were  made  by  Mr. 
L.  Wilbur  Messer,  General  Secretary  of  the  Young  Men's  Christian 
Association,  Chicago,  111.;  Rt.  Rev.  William  Lawrence,  D.  D.,  S.  T.  D., 
Bishop  of  the  Protestant  Espiscopal  diocese  of  Massachusetts; 
Professor  George  A.  Coe,  Ph.  D.,  Northwestern  University,  Chicago, 
Illinois;  and  Professor  Edward  C.  Moore,  D.  D.,  Harvard  University. 

RECEPTIONS 

On  the  morning  of  February  13th,  a  reception  was  given  at  Welles- 
ley  College  to  the  association.  After  a  gracious  welcome  by  President 
Caroline  Hazard,  Litt.  D.,  a  devotional  service  was  held  in  the  college 
chapel,  conducted  by  President  Charles  Cuthbert  Hall,  D.  D..  followed 
by  visits  to  buildings  and  a  luncheon. 

In  the  afternoon  at  three  o'clock,  the  Association  was  welcomed  by 
Harvard  University,  in  Sanders  Theatre,  with  greetings  by  the  acting 
president  of  the  University,  in  the  absence  of  President  Eliot,  and  by 
Professor  Francis  G.  Peabody,  D.  D.,  to  which  fitting  response  was 
made  by  President  Charles  Cuthbert  Hall,  D.  D.  After  stereopticon 
views  illustrating  the  development  of  the  University  buildings  had  been 
described  by  Professor  Peabody,  the  guests,  under  the  escort  of  stu- 
dents of  the  University,  visited  as  many  of  the  buildings  as  possible. 
A  reception  was  given  by  the  ladies  of  the  University  Faculty  at  the 
Phillips  Brooks  House. 

In  the  evening  at  8  o'clock,  an  official  reception  was  given  to  the 
Association  in  the  historic  Faneuil  Hall,  under  the  auspices  of  the 
entertainment  committee  of  the  Boston  Committee  of  Arrangements. 
Hon.  E.  H.  Haskell,  chairman  of  the  sub-committee,  introduced  Hon. 
John  D.  Long,  Ex-Governor  of  Massachusetts,  as  the  presiding  officer 
of  the  evening.  After  felicitous  greetings,  he  introduced  Lieutenant- 
Governor  Curtis   Guild,  of  Massachusetts;  William  E.  Huntingdon, 

461 


462  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

D.  D.,  President  of  Boston  University;  Rt.  Rev.  William  Lawrence, 
D.  D.,  S.  T.  D.,  Bishop  of  the  Protestant  Espiscopal  diocese  of  Mas- 
sachusetts; and  Rev.  P.  S.  Henson,  D.  D.,  pastor  of  the  Tremont 
Temple  Baptist  Church,  who  made  addresses  of  hearty  welcome. 
Appropiate  response  was  made  for  the  Association  by  President  Charles 
Cuthbert  Hall,  D.  D.  These  exercises  were  followed  by  an  informal 
reception,  during  which  the  members  of  the  Association  had  the  privi- 
lege of  meeting  personally  the  honored  guests  of  the  occasion,  who, 
in  addition  to  those  named  above,  were  Rabbi  Charles  Fleischer,  Mrs. 
Mary  A.  Livermore,  President  Henry  S.  Pritchett,  Ph.  D.,  of  the 
Massachusetts  Institute  of  Technology;  President  Caroline  Hazard, 
Lit.  D.,  of  Wellesley  College;  Miss  Sarah  L.  Arnold,  Dean  of  Sim- 
mons College;  Hon.  Samuel  B.  Capen,  Hon.  Robert  Treat  Paine, 
and  Rev.  Francis  E.  Clark,  D.  D.,  President  of  the  United  Societies 
of  Christian  Endeavor. 

CONSECRATION    SERVICE 

Tuesday,  at  4  p.  m.,  in  the  Park  Street  Church,  the  Association  as- 
sembled for  a  Meeting  of  Spiritual  Worship  and  Consecration,  prepara- 
tory to  the  General  Sessions  of  the  Convention.  Professor  Edward 
C.  Moore,  D.  D.,  of  Harvard  University,  presided.  Prayers  for  di- 
vine blessing  upon  the  Convention  were  led  by  Bishop  William  Eraser 
McDowell,  President  Charles  Cuthbert  Hall,  D.  D.,  Rev.  J.  T. 
Beckley,  D.  D.,  President  W.  H.  P.  Faimce,  and  Professor  Francis  G. 
Peabody,  D.  D.     The  choir  of  Wellesley  College  assisted  in  the  services. 

THE    THEME  OF  THE   CONVENTION 

The  programme  of  the  Convention  was  carefully  constructed  upon 
the  general  theme,  "  The  Aims  of  Religious  Education."  The  general 
sessions  were  five  in  number,  including  a  joint  session  of  Departments, 
on  Wednesday  morning,  and  the  business  session  on  Thursday 
morning. 

THE  FIRST  GENERAL  SESSION  OF  THE  CONVENTION 

Was  held  in  Converse  Hall,  Tremont  Temple,  Tuesday,  at  7:30  p.  m. 
After  devotional  services  conducted  by  Rev.  Rockwell  Harmon  Potter, 
pastor  First  Church  of  Christ,  Hartford,  Connecticut,  an  address  of 
welcome  was  made  by  Mr.  Albert  E.  Winship,  Litt.  D.,  editor  the 
Journal  0/  Education,  chairman  of  the  Boston  Committee  of  Arrange- 
ments. 


THE  MINUTES  OF  THE  THIRD  CONVENTION  463 

ADDRESS  OF  WELCOME 
ALBERT  E.  WINSHIP,  Lit.  D. 

EDITOR    THE    JOURNAL    OF    EDUCATION;    CHAIRMAN   OF   THE    BOSTON   COMMITTEE 
OF    ARRANGEMENTS 

Mr.  President  and  other  Guests, —  It  is  impossible  to  speak  our  ap- 
preciation of  our  guests  or  our  pleasure  as  host  in  six  minutes,  nor  could 
any  one,  least  of  all  the  chairman  of  a  committee  of  seventy  do  the 
the  occasion  justice  in  limitless  time.  In  order  to  escape  such  respon- 
sibility, I  had  Sunday  evening  and  the  whole  of  Monday  set  apart 
for  a  series  of  suggestions  of  our  welcome.  Our  largest  and  most 
historic  church  —  the  Old  South  —  furnished  appropriate  introduc- 
tion ;  at  Wellesley  College,  modern  Christian  scholasticism  found  ex- 
pression; at  Harvard,  the  oldest  educational  institution,  the  highest 
scholarship  of  the  day  acknowledged  the  honor  of  your  presence;  and 
in  the  evening,  at  Faneuil  Hall  —  Liberty's  shrine  — we  turned  loose 
an  array  of  dignitaries  who  could  not  be  trusted  with  a  six-minute 
limitation.  It  is  left  for  the  chairman  merely  to  express  an  official 
welcome. 

It  is  unfortunate  for  us  that  you  were  born  in  February.  We  really 
do  not  keep  open  house  in  this  month.  Ordinarily,  we  are  "  not  at 
home."  Our  weather  is  not  on  exhibition,  our  seaside  resorts  and 
mountain  houses  are  closed,  you  have  done  your  Christmas  shopping, 
and  even  our  bargain-counters  have  been  closed.  We  recognize,  how- 
ever, the  appropriateness  of  your  birthday  season,  as  February's  one 
distinction  is  her  glorious  galaxy  of  birthdays,  with  such  names  as 
Washington  and  Lincoln,  Longfellow  and  Lowell,  St.  Valentine  and 
Votaw. 

I  fully  appreciate  that  it  is  ours  to  act,  yours  to  speak;  ours  to  serve, 
yours  to  command.  We  shall  be  busy  doing,  that  you  may  have  free- 
dom in  talking.  Our  only  ambition  is  to  honor  the  traditions  of  our 
fathers  as  host. 

For  two  centuries,  threescore  and  ten  years.  Religion  and  Education 
have  walked  hand  in  hand  in  Boston.  In  this  we  have  pride,  as  being  the 
Jerusalem  of  the  New  World ;  and  with  no  little  chagrin  did  we  see  this 
child  of  the  new  century  born  in  the  cattle  mart  of  the  West;  but  wise 
men  went  from  the  East  with  their  ofifering  of  faith,  hope,  and  charity, — 
and  the  greatest  of  these  was  charity.  W^ith  unfeigned  pride  we  now 
see  this  child  placed  in  the  cradle  of  liberty. 

We  cannot  welcome  you,  your  religion,  or  your  education,  you  have 
a  more  noble  welcome  from  worthier  lives ;  for  this  is  not  the  city  of  these 


464  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

men  and  women  who  serve  tables,  but  it  is  the  city  of  Cotton  Mather 
and  PhilHps  Brooks,  of  Sam  Adams  and  Charles  Sumner,  of  Horace 
Mann  and  Julia  Ward  Howe.     Theirs  is  the  welcome. 

It  may  not  be  out  of  place  to  suggest  that  we  will  welcome  all  the 
religion  that  you  think  Chicago  and  New  York  can  spare,  and  that  you 
are  welcome  to  all  the  education  you  can  extract  from  our  traditions. 
We  know  that  we  are  enriched  by  your  coming  and  will  be  saddened  by 
your  going.  We  hope  you  will  be  comfortable  while  you  stay  and  that 
your  memories  of  Boston  will  be  pleasant. 

We  've  no  "Welcome"  when  you  come, 

We've  no  "  Farewell"  when  you  go; 
For  you  came  not  when  you  came, 

And  you  go  not  when  you  go. 

A  Welcome  ne'er  we  '11  give  you, 

And  Farewell  we  '11  never  say; 
In  our  hearts  you  're  always  with  us, 

Always  will  be,  every  day. 

Response  on  behalf  of  the  Association  was  made  by  Clifford  W. 
Barnes,  M.  A.,  General  Secretary.  The  President's  Annual  Address 
was  delivered  by  President  Charles  Cuthbert  Hall,  D.  D. 

The  subject  for  the  first  general  session,  "  How  can  We  Bring  the 
Individual  into  Conscious  Relation  with  God  ?"  was  discussed  in  three 
addresses, —  on  "  The  Direct  Influence  of  God  upon  One's  Life,"  by 
Rev.  William  F.  McDowell,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.,  Bishop  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  Chicago,  Illinois;  on  "  The  Bible  as  an  Aid  to 
Self-discovery,"  by  President  Henry  Churchill  King,  D.  D.,  Oberlin 
College,  Oberlin,  Ohio;  and  on  "  The  Church  as  a  Factor  in  Per- 
sonal Religious  Development,"  by  Rt.  Rev.  William  Lawrence,  D.  D., 
S.  T.  D.,  Bishop  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  diocese  of  Massachu- 
setts. The  session  was  closed  with  prayer  by  Rev.  John  Coleman  Adams, 
D.  D.,  pastor  Universalist  Church,  Hartford,  Connecticut. 

THE  JOINT  SESSION  OF  DEPARTMENTS 

Wednesday,  10  a.  m.  The  Convention  met  in  the  Park  Street 
Church.  Devotional  services  were  conducted  by  Rev.  Samuel  A.  Eliot, 
D.D.,  president  American  Unitarian  Association,  Boston, Massachusetts. 
Rev.  William  C.  Bitting,  D.  D.,  pastor  Mount  Morris  Baptist  Church, 
New  York  City,  and  William  J.  Parker,  assistant  general  secretary 
of  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association,  Chicago,  Illinois,  were 
elected  secretaries  of  the  Convention. 


THE  MINUTES  OF  THE  THIRD  CONVENTION  465 

President  Charles  Cuthert  Hall,  D.  D.,  appointed,  with  the  con- 
firmation of  the  Convention,   the  committees: 

On  Enrollment:  Chairman,  Mr.  Appleton  P.  Williams. 

On  Nominations:  Chairman,  Mr.  Loring  W.  Messer. 

On  Resolutions:     Chairman,  President  Henry  Churchill  King. 

Rules  for  the  Convention  were  adopted  as  follows: 

"  The  principal  addresses  at  the  evening  sessions  shall  be  limited 
to  twenty  minutes  each.  Speeches  in  the  formal  discussion  shall  be 
limited  to  eight  minutes  each.  Addresses  in  the  Joint  Session  of  Depart- 
ments shall  be  limited  to  twelve  minutes  each.  The  speaker  in  each 
case  shall  be  notified  by  a  stroke  of  the  bell  when  he  enters  upon  the  last 
minute  of  his  time;  and  by  a  double  stroke  of  the  bell  when  the  last 
minute  is  completed.     The  time  of  any  speaker  shall  not  be  extended. 

"Addresses  by  members  from  the  floor,  in  the  Joint  Session  of 
Departments,  shall  be  limited  to  three  minutes  each.  Members  desiring 
to  participate  in  the  discussion  shall  send  their  cards  by  the  ushers  to  the 
presiding  officer,  who  will  call  on  as  many  as  the  time  of  the  session 
permits." 

The  President  announced  the  serious  illness  of  President  William  R. 
Harper,  LL.  D.,  of  the  University  of  Chicago,  Illinois;  Professor  George 
W.  Pease,  Hartford  School  of  Religious  Pedagogy,  Hartford,  Con- 
necticut; and  Rt.  Rev.  John  L.  Spalding,  Bishop  of  the  Roman 
Catholic  diocese  of  Peoria,  who  had  been  expected  to  participate  in  the 
Convention.  After  united  prayer  in  their  behalf,  led  by  Professor 
George  A.  Coe,  Ph.  D.,  Northwestern  University,  Chicago,  lUinois, 
it  was  voted  that,  with  President  Hall,  Rev.  Endicott  Peabody,  D.  D., 
head  master  Groton  School,  Groton,  Massachusetts;  Chancellor 
James  H.  Kirkland,  Ph.  D.,  LL.  D.,  Vanderbilt  University,  Nashville, 
Tennessee;  and  President  William  De  Wilt  Hyde,  D.  D.,  LL.  D., 
Bowdoin  College,  Brunswick,  Maine,  be  appointed  a  committee  to  ex- 
press to  these  sufferers  the  sympathies  of  the  Convention." 

The  topic  for  the  Joint  Session  of  the  Departments,  "  The  Place  of 
Formal  Instruction  in  Religious  and  Moral  Instruction,"  was  discussed 
in  addresses  on  "  The  Home,"  by  President  G.  Stanley  Hall,  Ph.  D., 
LL.D.,  Clark  University,  Worcester,  Massachusetts;  "  The  Sunday 
School,"  by  Rev.  Everett  D.  Burr,  D.  D.,  pastor  First  Baptist  Church, 
Newton  Center,  Massachusetts;  "The  Young  Men's  Christian  Associa- 
tion," by  Professor  George  Albert  Coe,  Ph.  D.,  Northwestern  Unversity, 
Chicago,  Illinois;  "  The  Pubhc  School,"  by  Mr.  George  H.  Martin, 
secretary  of  the  Board  of  Education,  Boston,  Massachusetts;  "  The 
Preparatory  School,"  by  Rev.  Endicott  Peabody,  D.  D.,  head  master 
Groton  School,  Groton,  Massachusetts;  and  "  The  College,"  by  Presi- 


466        ■  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

dent  George  Harris,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.,  Amherst  College,  Amherst, 
Massachusetts.  The  joint  session  then  gave  place  to  a  special  session 
of  the  Department  of  Correspondence  Instruction,  at  which  an  address 
was  made  by  President  Frank  W.  Gunsaulus,  D.  D.,  Armour  Institute 
of  Technology,  Chicago,  IlUnois,  on  "  The  Place  and  Possibilities  of 
Correspondence  Instruction  in  Religious  Education."  The  session  was 
closed  with  prayer  by  Rev.  E.  F.  Merriam,  D.  D.,  editor  The 
Watchman,  Boston,  Massachusetts. 

THE  SECOND  GENERAL  SESSION  OF  THE  CONVENTION 

Wednesday  evening,  7 :3o  o'clock,  the  Convention  assembled  in  Con- 
verse Hall,  Tremont  Temple.  Devotional  services  were  conducted  by 
Professor  Herbert  L.  Willett,  Ph.  D.,  the  University  of  Chicago,  Illinois. 
The  subject  for  the  evening,  "How  can  We  Develop  in  the  Individual 
a  Social  Conscience  ?"  was  discussed  in  three  addresses, — on  "  Literature 
as  an  Expression  of  Social  Ideals,"  by  Professor  Arthur  S.  Hoyt,  D.  D., 
Auburn  Theological  Seminary,  Auburn,  New  York;  on  "Science  as  a 
Teacher  of  Morality,"  by  Professor  John  M.  Coulter,  Ph.  D.,  the 
University  of  Chicago,  Illinois ;  and  on  "  The  Ethical  Education  of  Public 
Opinion,  "  by  President  Henry  S.  Pritchett,  Ph.  D.,  Massachusetts 
Institute  of  Technology,  Boston,  Massachusetts.  The  general  subject 
was  further  discussed  by  Professor  Henry  S.  Nash,  D.  D.,  Episcopal 
Theological  School,  Cambridge,  Massachusetts;  Professor  William  E.  B. 
Du  Bois,  Ph.  D.,  Atlanta  University,  Atlanta,  Georgia;  and  Rev.  Samuel 
M.  Crothers,  D.  D.,  minister  of  the  First  Parish,  Cambridge,  Massa- 
chusetts. 

A  pleasant  experience  was  the  presence  on  the  platform  of  Mrs. 
Julia  Ward  Howe,  who  was  introduced  to  the  audience  by  President 
Hall.  The  entire  audience  rose  to  greet  the  distinquished  guest.  After 
a  few  words  of  encouragement  to  the  Association,  Mrs.  Howe,  by 
request,  repeated  her  "Battle  Hymn  of  the  Republic." 

The  session  closed  with  prayer  by  Rev.  Charles  F.  Rice,  D.  D.,  pastor 
Wesleyan  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  Springfield,  Massachusetts. 

ANNUAL  BUSINESS  MEETING  OF  THE  ASSOCIATION 

The  Association  met  for  its  annual  business  session  in  the  Park 
Street  Church,  Thursday  morning,  10  o'clock,  with  President  Charles 
Cuthbert  Hall,  D.  D.,  in  the  chair.  Devotional  services  were  conducted 
by  Rev.  Albert  E.  Dunning,  D.  D.,  editor  The  Congregationalist, 
Boston,  Massachusetts. 

The   Directors  having  recommended   certain  amendments  to  the 


THE  MINUTES  OF  THE  THIRD  CONVENTION  467 

Constitution,  the  Chair  appointed  as  a  committee  to  formulate  such 
amendments,  Messrs.  Sanders,  Coe,  and  Bitting. 

The  minutes  of  the  Second  Convention  of  the  Association,  Philadel- 
phia, March  2-4,  1904,  were  presented  by  the  Recording  Secretary  of 
the  Association,  Professor  George  A.  Coe,  Ph.  D.,  and  approved  as 
printed  in  the  Proceedings  of  that  Convention. 

Clifford  W.  Barnes,  Ph.  D.,  General  Secretary,  presented  the  follow- 
ing Annual  Report,  which  was  accepted  and  ordered  placed  on  file: 

THE   ANNUAL   REPORT   OF   THE   GENERAL   SECRETARY 

In  giving  the  report  of  the  General  Secretary  for  the  year  which  has 
just  come  to  a  close,  I  must  beg  your  indulgence  if  more  is  said  concern- 
ing the  work  which  is  planned  than  of  that  which  has  been  accomplished. 

To  summarize  briefly,  the  Association  may  be  said  during  the  past 
twelve  months,  to  have: 

First.  Completed  its  organization.  A  movement  so  wide  in  its 
scope  and  so  varied  in  its  activities  could  not  be  properly  officered,  much 
less  gain  momentum,  short  of  the  two  years  which  have  marked  the  life 
of  this  Association.  And  when  one  carefully  scans  the  250  names 
which  make  up  its  official  list,  and  realizes  the  particular  fitness  of  each 
man  for  his  special  task,  he  can  but  feel  that  this  in  itself  is  a  remarkable 
achievement. 

Second.  Developed  some  of  its  departments.  We  would  mention 
especially  those  of  the  Home,  Religious  Art,  and  Music,  Young  Men's 
Christian  Association  and  Libraries.  These  departments  have  kept  in 
touch  with  the  Association  headquarters,  their  ofiicers  have  met  in 
consultation,  they  have  made  investigations  along  their  respective 
lines,  and  expect  to  publish  very  soon  some  valuable  monographs. 

Third.  Established  guilds.  These  local  organizations  of  the 
Religious  Education  Association  have  now  been  formed  in  six  places, 
and  include  a  total  membership  of  over  four  hundred  and  sixty.  Active 
members  of  a  guild  are  members  in  full  standing  of  the  Religious  Edu- 
cation Association,  joining  in  the  regular  manner,  but  paying  their 
enrollment  fee  of  one  dollar  directly  to  the  guild.  Nothing  in  the  past 
year's  experience  has  been  more  encouraging  than  the  zeal  with  which 
Christian  workers  of  all  denominations  have  united  in  these  local- 
organizations,  undertaking  serious  study  in  Old  and  New  Testament 
Literature,  in  Teacher-training,  in  Religious  Art  and  Music,  in  the 
betterment  of  home  instruction,  in  establishing  traveling  libraries, 
and  in  a  general  agitation  for  better  and  more  pervasive  religious 
and  moral  education. 

Turning  now  to  the  future,  I  take  pleasure  in  presenting  for  your 
approval  the  following  policy,  which  has  just  been  adopted  by  the 
Board  of  Directors  for  the  coming  year. 

I .  Leasing  new  and  enlarged  quarters  for  the  Executive  Office.  With 
the  growth  in  Association  membership,  and  the  consequent  increase 
in  detail  work,  the  space  occupied  at  153  La  Salle  Street  is  proving  too 


468  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

small,  and  larger  and  better  rooms  are  needed.  The  Executive  OflSice 
is  therefore  to  be  moved  on  the  ist  of  May  to  the  new  First  National 
Bank  Building,  perhaps  the  handsomest  structure  of  its  kind  in  the 
world,  and  certainly  for  our  work  the  best  located  in  Chicago. 

2.  Installing  a  complete  and  permanent  exhibit,  in  connection 
with  the  Executive  OflSce,  of  all  literature,  charts,  Sunday  school  lesson 
helps,  and  other  material  which  bear  directly  upon  moral  and  religious 
education.  It  is  planned  to  have  this  matter  so  skillfully  arranged  and 
so  well  selected  that  the  oflScer  in  charge  shall  be  able  to  answer  any  query 
concerning  the  best  thing  produced  (or  the  finest  work  done)  in  any  of 
the  various  lines  in  which  the  Association  is  interested.  As  rapidly  as 
new  material  comes  to  hand,  the  purpose  is  to  bring  it  to  the  attention  of 
the  respective  departments  to  which  it  properly  belongs,  and  obtain  the 
judgment  of  the  department  as  to  its  merit. 

3.  Carry  on  the  editorial  work  of  the  Association  at  the  Executive 
Office,  and  make  the  Official  Bulletin  the  voice  of  the  Association  and 
of  its  various  departments  in  commending  whatever  movement, method, 
or  teaching  seems  worthy  of  publicity  and  support.  The  tools  will  be 
at  hand  in  the  material  constantly  received,  in  the  wise  and  careful 
judgments  rendered  by  the  departments,  and  possibly  in  an  editorial 
staff  of  able  critics  representing  several  denominations  and  recognized 
for  their  standing  and  fairness.  It  is  planned  to  issue  at  least  six  num- 
bers of  the  Bulletin  each  year,  to  have  original  productions  from  some 
of  the  departments  in  each  number,  and,  with  the  critical  reviews  pre- 
sented, to  thus  furnish  our  members  with  a  magazine  of  unique  character 
and  great  value. 

4.  Choose  from  among  the  departments  two  or  three  whose  work 
is  of  most  immediate  importance,  assist  them  in  preparing  a  practical 
scheme  of  operation,  and  then,  standing  behind  with  the  full  strength 
of  the  Association,  endeavor  to  achieve  some  definite  results. 

5.  Hold  twenty  conferences  under  the  auspices  of  the  Religious 
Education  Association  in  as  many  large  centers,  covering  the  middle 
section  of  our  country,  from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific.  These  con- 
ferences need  not  occupy  more  than  an  afternoon  and  evening,  but  in 
that  time  two  great  interdenominational  meetings  can  be  held,  five  or 
six  strong  addresses  can  be  given,  and  a  community  sentiment  in  favor 
of  moral  and  religious  education  can  be  thoroughly  aroused.  It  is 
planned  to  conclude  these  conferences  with  the  organization  of  a  guild, 
which  shall  be  the  local  representative  of  the  Religious  Education 
Association,  and,  in  addition  to  its  other  work,  shall  arrange  each  year 
for  a  general  gathering  of  the  kind  described. 

6.  Prosecute  a  vigorous  canvass  for  new  members.  Through  these 
conferences  and  the  interest  which  they  are  expected  to  kindle,  through 
the  Ofi&cial  Bulletin  and  the  influence  which  it  ought  to  exert  through 
the  quickened  activity  of  every  department,  and  last,  but  not  least, 
through  the  actual  accomplishment  of  some  work  that  will  strongly 
appeal  to  the  people,  through  all  these  agencies  and  through  the  loyal 
endeavor  of  each  of  you,  we  hope  to  speedily  raise  the  membership  of 
this  Association  from  two  thousand  to  five  thousand.     And  this  increase 


THE  MINUTES  OF  THE  THIRD  CONVENTION  469 

in  members  is  most  desirable,  not  merely  nor  chiefly  because  it  will 
help  the  Association  financially,  but  because  it  will  magnify,  by  each 
new  member,  the  Association's  opportunity  for  good,  and  will  vastly 
strengthen  its  authority  when  it  speaks  for  reform. 

7.  And  finally,  obtain  subscriptions  to  the  amount  of  $20,000, 
with  which  to  carry  on  this  aggressive  campaign.  The  membership 
dues  are  so  small,  and  the  cost  of  our  literature  alone  is  so  great,  that 
it  is  impossible  to  make  this  work  pay  for  itself.  We  are  well  aware  of 
the  fact  that  colleges  and  universities,  unless  supported  by  the  state, 
require  for  their  maintenance  large  endowments  and  generous  sub- 
scriptions. 

In  a  sense,  this  Association  is  an  educational  institution,  drawing  its 
students  from  forty-eight  states  and  territories,  six  British  provinces, 
and  nine  foreign  countries,  numbering  in  its  faculty  two  hundred  and  fifty 
of  the  leading  educators  of  America,  claiming  alliance  with  thirty-nine  of 
the  leading  churches  and  denominations  of  the  world,  and  exerting  an 
influence  for  the  moral  and  religious  betterment  of  humanity  which  only 
God  in  his  wisdom  can  measure.  Never  did  greatness  of  opportunity 
and  largeness  of  public  service  make  a  stronger  demand  for  generous 
support,  and  we  hope  the  day  is  not  far  distant  when  some  wise  and 
liberal  citizen  shall  place  this  great  movement  on  the  firm  foundation 
which  a  strong  endowment  provides. 

Professor  C.  W.  Votaw,  Ph.  D.,  Editorial  Secretary,  presented  the 
following  Annual  Report,  which  was  accepted  and  ordered  placed  on 
file: 

THE  ANNUAL   REPORT   OF  THE  EDITORIAL   SECRETARY 

The  work  of  the  Editorial  Secretary  during  the  past  year,  the  second 
year  in  the  history  of  the  Association,  has  nearly  doubled  in  comparison 
with  that  of  the  first  year.  During  the  first  year  560  pages  of  material 
were  edited  and  published  by  the  Editorial  Secretary.  During  this 
second  year,  which  has  just  closed,  the  amount  was  1,010  pages  of  litera- 
ture. It  was  to  be  expected  that  such  an  increase  of  the  publication 
work  of  the  Association  should  take  place,  and  the  amount  would  have 
been  trebled  rather  than  doubled  had  the  resources  of  the  Association 
been  as  large  as  we  could  have  wished,  and  had  we  not  had  to  undergo 
a  change  of  General  Secretaries.  The  specific  publications  of  the 
Association  may  be  enumerated. 

1.  The  first  publication  of  the  fiscal  year  was  the  Ofiicial  Bulletin 
No.  3,  a  forty-eight-page  pamphlet,  issued  May  i,  1904.  Twenty 
thousand  copies  of  this  Bulletin  were  printed,  sent  to  members,  and 
otherwise  carefully  distributed  during  the  year. 

2.  The  second  publication  was  the  volume  of  Proceedings  of  the 
Philadelphia  Convention,  issued  September  10,  1904.  The  edition 
of  the  Proceedings  this  year  was  3,000  copies,  and  the  pages  were  pre- 
served in  electrotype  for  use  in  a  second  edition  when  it  is  called  for. 
The  cost  of  printing  the  volume  was  $2,423.13. 


470  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

3.  The  policy  outlined  in  the  report  of  the  Editorial  Secretary  a 
year  ago  to  issue  in  separate  pamphlet  form  the  addresses  given  in 
a  particular  department,  was  followed  this  year  in  the  department  of 
Religious  Art  and  Music,  and  of  Christian  Associations.  Five  hun- 
dred copies  of  each  set  of  papers  were  provided  for  the  special  use  of 
the  department,  and  at  the  expense  of  the  executive  committees  of 
these  departments.  The  papers  of  other  departments  would  have 
been  similarly  issued  in  separate  form  had  it  been  possible  to  arrange 
for  the  necessary  expense. 

4.  Official  Bulletin  No.  4,  a  pamphlet  of  twenty  pages,  was 
issued  September  i,  1904,  2,500  copies  being  printed. 

5.  A  four-page  circular,  descriptive  of  the  contents  of  the  first  and 
second  annual  volumes  of  Proceedings. 

6.  A  general  circular,  of  eight  pages  containing  the  simplest  facts 
■concerning  the  Association,  for  wide  use  in  making  known  the  history 
and  ideas  of  our  movement.  Twenty  thousand  copies  of  this  eight-page 
circular  have  been  printed. 

7.  The  list  of  officers  and  members  contained  in  the  closing  ninety 
pages  of  the  volume  of  Proceedings  was  separately  printed  in  pamphlet 
form  for  the  general  use  of  the  Executive  Office.  One  thousand  copies 
of  this  reprint  have  been  used. 

8.  Official  Bulletin  No.  5,  a  pamphlet  of  40  pages,  was  issued  Jan- 
uary 15,  1905. 

9.  The  preliminary  programme  of  the  Boston  Convention,  a 
thirty-two-page  pamphlet. 

10.  A  circular  of  twelve  pages  has  just  been  prepared  for  use  at 
this  Convention,  and,  subsequently,  with  reference  to  the  Local  Guilds. 

11.  The  final  programme  for  this  Convention,  a  pamphlet  of 
thirty-two  pages,  with  cover.  An  edition  of  ten  thousand  copies  was 
prepared. 

This  brief  statement  of  the  publications  of  the  Association  during 
the  past  year  will  give  some  indication  as  to  the  editorial  work  that  has 
actually  been  done  at  headquarters.  Summing  it  all  up,  89,000  pieces 
of  printed  matter  have  been  used  in  the  work  of  the  Association  during 
the  year.  And  the  actual  number  of  pages  of  this  printed  material 
for  the  year  is  3,264,000,  every  page  of  which  has  been  put  judiciously 
into  circulation  where  its  influence  has  certainly  been  felt. 

FINANCIAL    REPORT 

For  the  Eleven  Months,  March  i,  1904,  to  January  31,  1905 
(The  previous  fiscal  year  of  the  Association  ended  February  29,  1904.) 

Receipts 

Balance  in  bank,  March  i,  1904 $154.64 

Receipts  from  memberships 3>53S-7^ 

Sale  of  Proceedings 362.05 

Contributions 4,070.16 

Miscellaneous  receipts   1 7-84 

Loan  from  Commercial  Bank 3,000.00 

$11,140.40 


THE  MINUTES  OF  THE  THIRD  CONVENTION  471 

Expenditures 

Pay-roll  $5,345.04 

Traveling  and   Philadelphia  Convention  ex- 
penses        830.3s 

Rent 453-75 

Postage  and  express 1,119.22 

Printing,  1903  account $1,922.27 

Printing,  1904  account 1,091.63 


3,013.90 

Office  expenses,  stationery,  telephone,  etc .. .       278.25 


Assets 

Class  A 

Balance  in  bank,  January.  31,  1905 $  81.79 

Cash  on  hand 18.10 

Special  pledges,  payable  July  ist 6,000.00 


MEMBERSHIP    REPORT 


)1 1,040.51 


Balance   $99.89 

Liabilities 

Commercial  National  Bank,  Chicago $3,000.00 

University  of  Chicago  Press 5,474.61 

Bills  payable    747-34 

$9,221.95 


$6,099.89  $6,099.89 

Class  B 

Sustaining  pledges  outstanding  $1,165.00 

Philadelphia  conditional  pledges 2,185.00 

1903  and  1904  membership  dues 225.00 

/903  Proceedings  (1,499  volumes)     1,199.20 

1904  Proceedings  (911  volumes) 728.80 

Miscellaneous  bills  receivable 90.00 


$5>593-oo 
Estimated  value 3,122.06  $3,122.06 


$9,221.95 


The  membership  of  the  Association,  as  reported  last  year,  was  1,647, 
including  ^^  institutional;  the  membership  is  now  1,980,  including 
84  institutional  memberships,  showing  an  increase  during  the  year  of 
333- 

The  Committee  on  Enrollment  presented  the  following  report, 
which  was  accepted  and  ordered  placed  on  file. 


472  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

REPORT   OF   COMMITTEE    ON  ENROLLMENT 

Maine,  20;  New  Hampshire,  22;  Vermont,  7;  Massachusetts,  444; 
Rhode  Island,  9;  Connecticut,  52;  New  York  state,  49;  Pennsylvania, 
13;  New  Jersey,  6;  Illinois,  14;  Ohio,  10;  Iowa,  8;  Virginia,  2; 
Kentucky,  i;  Tennessee,  5;  Alabama,  i;  District  of  Columbia,  2; 
Minnesota,  2;  North  Dakota,  i;  South  Dakota,  i;  Washington,  i; 
Mississippi,  i;  California,  2;  Wisconsin,  i;  Michigan,  6;  Northwest 
Territory,  i;  Montreal,  i;  New  Brunswick,  3;  Nova  Scotia,  1; 
Prince  Edward  Island,  i;  Ontario,  3;  England,  i;  Finland,  i; 
Bulgaria,  i ;  Japan,  i ;  India,  i    695 

The  Committee  on  Nominations  presented  a  report  nominating 
ofhcers  and  directors  as  follows.  (See  the  List  of  Officers,  pp.  000- 
000.) 

The  Secretary  of  the  Convention  was  instructed  to  cast  the  ballot 
of  the  members  of  the  Association  for  the  President  and  Vice-Presi- 
dents nominated  in  the  report,  and  they  were  declared  unanimously 
elected. 

The  Secretary  of  the  Convention  was  instructed  to  cast  the  ballot 
of  the  members  of  the  Association  for  the  Directors  nominated  in  the 
report,  and  they  were  declared  unanimously  elected. 

REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE    ON  AMENDMENTS  TO    THE   CONSTITUTION 

The  Committee  on  Amendments  to  the  Constitution  presented  its 
report.  The  amendments  proposed  were  unanimously  adopted,  as 
follows : 

Amend  Article  III,  section  3,  by  substituting  for  the  present  section 
the  following: 

"Sec.  3.  In  each  department  except  the  Council  of  Religious 
Education  the  voting  membership  shall  consist  of  such  members  of  the 
Association  as  express  in  writing  their  desire  to  be  affiliated  with  the 
department  and  are  accepted  by  the  Executive  Committee  thereof." 

Amend  Article  III,  section  4,  paragraph  2,  second  sentence,  by  sub- 
stituting for  said  sentence  the  following: 

"The  absence  of  a  member  from  two  consecutive  annual  meetings 
of  the  Council  may  be  regarded  as  equivalent  to  resignation  of  mem- 
bership, and  a  new  member  may  be  elected  for  the  unexpired  term." 

Substitute  for  Article  IV  the  following: 

"  ARTICLE   IV  —  MEMBERSHIP 

"  Section  i.  There  shall  be  three  classes  of  members:  Active 
(individual  and  institutional).  Sustaining,  and  Corresponding. 

"  Sec.  2.  Active  members  shall  be  (i)  teachers,  pastors,  and  any 
persons  otherwise  engaged  or  interested  in  the  work  of  religious  or 
moral  education  as  represented  by  the  seventeen  departments  named 
in  Art.  Ill;  (2)  institutions  and  organizations  thus  engaged. 

"  Sec.    3.     The    Corresponding    Members    shall    be   persons    not 


THE  MINUTES  OF  THE  THIRD  CONVENTION  473 

resident  in  America  who  may  be  elected  to  such  membership  by  the 
Board  of  Directors.  The  number  of  Corresponding  Members  shall 
at  no  time  exceed  fifty. 

"  Sec.  4.  The  fees  of  membership  shall  be  as  follows:  Active 
Members  shall  pay  an  annual  fee  of  Three  Dollars;  Sustaining  Mem- 
bers, an  annual  fee  of  Ten  Dollars;  Corresponding  Members  shall 
pay  no  fees.  All  fees  shall  be  payable  on  or  before  the  holding  of  the 
Annual  Convention.  Members  who  have  paid  into  the  Association  the 
amount  of  One  Hundred  Dollars  at  one  time  shall  be  designated  Life 
Members. 

"  Sec.  5.  Members  may  withdraw  from  membership  by  giving 
written  notice  to  the  Secretary  before  January  i.  Resumption  of 
membership  will  be  possible  on  payment  of  the  annual  fee  for  the  cur- 
rent year. 

"  Sec.  6.  All  members  of  the  Association  whose  fees  are  paid 
shall  receive  the  volume  of "  Proceedings  "  of  the  Annual  Convention. 

"  Sec.  7.  All  members  of  the  Association  shall  be  elected  by  the 
Board  of  Directors. 

"  Sec.  8.  Only  those  members  whose  fees  are  paid  shall  have  the 
right  to  vote  and  to  hold  office  in  the  Association  and  its  departments." 

Amend  Article  V,  section  i,  by  striking  out  the  words,  "  Financial 
Secretary." 

RESOLUTIONS  OF   THE  CONVENTION 

The  Committee  on  resolutions  presented  its  report,  which  was 
adopted. 

The  Religious  Education  Association,  deeply  appreciating  the 
coirdial  welcome  it  has  received  in  the  city  of  Boston,  and  the  thorough 
and  generous  provision  that  has  been  made  for  the  conduct  of  its  busi- 
ness and  the  comfort  of  its  members,  desires  to  express  its  hearty  thanks 
to  all  who  have  contributed  to  this  cause. 

1.  To  the  Committee  of  Arrangements,  especially  to  its  chairman, 
Dr.  Albert  E.  Winship,  and  its  secretary.  Rev.  Frederick  H.  Means, 
for  the  careful  planning  and  thorough  work  which  has  been  so  largely 
responsible  for  the  success  of  the  Convention. 

2.  To  all  those  generous  donors  who  have  contribnted  to  the  ex- 
penses of  the  Convention. 

3.  To  the  prominent  citizens  who  tendered  to  the  Association  the 
delightful  reception  at  Faneuil  Hall,  and  to  the  special  Entertainment 
Committee,  through  whom  the  reception  was  arranged. 

4.  To  the  Officers  of  the  Old  South  Church  for  the  use  of  their 
building  for  the  service  of  Sunday  evening,  February  12th;  to  the 
choir  of  that  church  for  their  inspiring  part  in  the  worship;  and  to  the 
First  Baptist  Church  and  its  pastor  for  their  co-operation  m  the  service. 

5.  To  Wellesley  College  and  Harvard  University  for  their  gracious 
and  beautiful  hospitality. 

6.  To  the  Ancient  and' Hotior able  Artillery  Company  for  the  courte- 
ous invitation  to  visit  their  armory. 


474  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

7.  To  those  who  have  put  at  our  disposal  the  halls  in  which  the  busi- 
ness of  the  Convention  has  been  so  conveniently  transacted,  especially 
to  the  Twentieth  Century  Club,  Boston  University,  the  American 
Unitarian  Association,  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association,  and 
the  Boston  Public  Library,  the  use  of  whose  rooms  was  freely  given. 

8.  To  the  Press  for  full  and  accurate  reports  of  the  proceedings  of 
the  Convention,  made  possible  by  the  hearty  co-operation  of  all  the 
speakers,  together  with  the  effective  work  of  the  Press  Agent. 

9.  To  the  Committee  in  charge  of  the  Sunday  School  Exhibit,  for 
placing  before  us,  at  the  cost  of  much  labor  and  expense  on  their  part, 
a  collection  so  unique  and  helpful. 

10.  To  the  Officers  of  the  English  High  School  Cadet  Corps  for  their 
assistance  as  ushers  at  our  general  sessions,  a  service  freely  rendered  and 
admirably  performed. 

11.  We  thank  all  the  men  and  women  who  have  helped  in  any 
way  to  make  this  Convention  a  success,  and  have  thereby  declared 
their  faith  in  the  ideals  and  purpose  of  this  Association. 

The  Aims  of  the  Association 

12.  Impressed  with  a  deep  conviction  of  the  need  of  a  general 
revival  of  religious  and  moral  education,  and  guided  by  the 
experience  of  the  last  three  years,  the  Religious  Education  Associa- 
tion offers  the  following  statement  of  its  purpose: 

The  threefold  purpose  of  the  Religious  Education  Association  is: 

To  inspire  the  educational  forces  of  our  country  with  the  religious 
ideal; 

To  inspire  the  religious  forces  of  our  country  with  the  educational 
ideal;  and 

To  keep  before  the  public  mind  the  ideal  of  Religious  Education, 
and  the  sense  of  its  need  and  value. 

In  detail,  its  purpose  is: 

1.  To  bring  together  in  one  comprehensive  organization  the 
leaders  and  workers  of  all  ecclesiastical,  evangelical,  educational, 
cultural,  and  social  organizations  who  wish  for  fellowship,  for  mutual 
interchange  of  thought,  information  and  experience,  and  for  co-opera- 
tion in  achieving  the  highest  ideal  of  personality  and  citizenship. 

2.  By  means  of  this  organization  of  leaders,  to  promote  the  inter- 
relation of  all  existing  agencies  of  religious  and  moral  education,  for 
mutual  knowledge  and  sympathy,  for  economy  of  effort,  for  friendly 
co-operation,  and  for  united  strength. 

3.  To  survey  the  whole  field  of  religious  and  moral  education, 
promoting  a  study  of  conditions,  reporting  the  organized  and  individ- 
ual forces  at  work  within  it,  fostering  thought,  discussion,  and  experi- 
ment, determining  the  principles  .and  the  methods  of  progress. 

4.  To  reach  and  to  disseminate  correct  thinking  on  the  relation 
of  religion  and  morality  to  education. 

5.  To  make  religion  a  pervasive  power  for  personal  and  social 
goodness. 


THE  MINUTES  OF  THE  THIRD  CONVENTION  475 

6.  To  maintain  the  high  ideal  of  education,  in  which  character 
and  service  are  the  goal. 

7.  To  show  that  religious  education,  taken  comprehensively,  in- 
cludes evangelism  as  a  vital  factor. 

8.  To  apply  to  religious  and  moral  education  the  best  educational 
principles  and  modes  of  practice  derived  from  modern  psychology  and 
pedagogy,  and  thereby  to  put  the  religious  forces  of  the  country  in 
sympathetic  touch  with  the  matured  results  of  scholarly  research  in  all 
lines. 

9.  To  promote  the  study  and  interpretation  of  the  Bible,  and  to 
encourage  all  methods  by  which  its  truth  may  be  learned  and  made  ef- 
fective for  the  development  of  religious  and  ethical  life. 

10.  To  promote  worship  and  social  service  as  essential  to  the 
highest  culture,  and  to  this  end  to  emphasize  the  educational  function 
of  the  church. 

11.  To  discover  the  means  by  which  the  Sunday  school  may  be 
made  more  efficient  in  the  religious  culture  of  the  young. 

12.  To  assist  those  who  are  in  the  process  of  education  to  co- 
ordinate their  intellectual  development  with  the  maintenance  and 
deepening  of  a  religious  experience,  and  to  enlist  the  interest  and  support 
of  the  intellectual  leaders  of  the  nation  on  the  side  of  the  moral  and  re- 
ligious life. 

13.  To  accomplish  this  work  through — 

(i)  The  Annual  Convention,  for  the  specific  discussion  of  the 
problems  of  religious  and  moral  education  and  for  conference  by 
workers  as  to  methods. 

(2)  The  annual  volume  of  Proceedings,  putting  into  permanent 
form  the  addresses  of  the  Convention  and  containing  general  informa- 
tion about  the  Association. 

(3)  The  Council,  for  the  purpose  of  reaching  and  disseminating 
correct  thinking  on  all  general  subjects  relating  to  religious  and  moral 
education. 

(4)  The  Departments,  whose  executive  committees  and  co-operat- 
ing members  shall  carry  forward  the  ideas  and  the  plans  of  the  Asso- 
ciation in  their  several  fields. 

(5)  The  Executive  Office,  to  serve  as  a  clearing-house  of  informa- 
tion, connecting  with  officers  and  members,  and  advancing  the  work 
through  the  various  channels  provided. 

(6)  Conferences  on  Religious  and  Moral  Education,  to  be  held  in 
states,  districts,  and  cities,  for  discussion,  stimulus,  and  spread  of  ideas 
and  methods. 

(7)  Guilds  organized  in  communities,  to  unite  ministers,  Sunday 
school  workers,  public  school  teachers,  Endeavorers,  Y.  M.  C.  A. 
workers,  and  all  persons  interested  in  religion  and  morality,  for  mu- 
tual fellowship,  study,  and  co-operation  in  educational  progress. 

(8)  Literature  of  the  Association,  to  be  occasionally  published  in 
the  form  of  official  bulletins,  proceedings  of  district  or  departmental 
conferences  reports  of  investigations,  monographs  on  special  sub- 
jects, departmental  handbooks,  etc. 


476  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

Mr.  L.  Wilbur  Messer  made  a  statement  on  behalf  of  the  Execu- 
tive Committee  concerning  the  finances  of  the  Association,  in  which 
he  announced  that  the  debt  accumulated  during  the  two  years  of  exist- 
ence, amounting  to  $6,000,  had  been  provided  for  by  guaranteed  sub- 
scriptions, and  that  the  sum  of  $20,000,  apart  from  membership  fees, 
was  needed  for  the  enlarged  work  of  the  Association. 

THE  ANNUAL  SURVEY  OF  PROGRESS 

Following  the  business  session  of  the  Association,  "  The  Annual  Sur- 
vey of  Progress  in  Religious  and  Moral  Education  "  was  presented 
by  President  W.  H.  P.  Faunce,  D.D.,  LL.D.,  President  Brown  Uni- 
versity, Providence,  Rhode  Island,  the  newly  elected  First  Vice- 
President  of  the  Association. 

The  session  of  the  Association  was  closed  with  prayer  by  Rev. 
Rivington  D.  Lord,  D.  D.,  President  General  Conference  Free  Bap- 
tists, Brooklyn,  New  York. 

THIRD  GENERAL  SESSION  OF  THE  CONVENTION 

The  third  general  session  of  t  he  Convention  was  held  in  Converse 
Hall,  Tremont  Temple  Thursday  evening,  7.30  o'clock.  The  First 
Vice-President  of  the  Association,  Professor  Francis  G.  Peabody,  D.  D., 
Harvard  University,  presided.  Devotional  services  were  conducted  by 
Rev.  William  P.  Merrill,  D.  D.,  pastor  Sixth  Presbyterian  Church, 
Chicago,  Illinois. 

The  resolutions  of  the  Convention  concerning  the  "  Aims  of  the 
Religious  Education  Association  "  were  read  by  Rev.  Frank  K.  San- 
ders, Ph.D.,  D.D.,  Ex-President  of  the  Association. 

On  behalf  of  the  Council  of  the  Association,  Ex-President  Sanders 
made  a  statement  of  the  plans  of  the  Council  for  the  current  year. 

DIGEST  OF  MINUTES  OF  THE  COUNCIL  OF  RELIGIOUS 

EDUCATION 

February  14-16,  1905 

Voted,  That  the  Chairman  of  the  Council  appoint  a  committee  to 
select  a  commission  to  prepare  a  book  of  religious  selections  for  use 
in  public  and  private  schools;  that  the  Chairman  of  the  Council  be  a 
member  of  this  committee;  and  that  the  commission  report  in  writing 
to  the  members  of  the  Council  before  the  next  meeting.  This  com- 
mittee, as  chosen  by  the  Chairman,  consisted  of  Dean  Sanders,  Dr. 
Coe,  Dr.  Votaw,  President  Swain,  President  C.  C.  Hall,  and  Professor 
Pace. 


THE  MINUTES  OF  THE  THIRD  CONVENTION  477 

Voted,  That  the  Recording  Secretary  be  requested  to  communi- 
cate to  the  Executive  Board  of  the  Association  the  judgment  of  the 
Council  that  a  manual  briefly  setting  forth  the  field  of  religious  educa- 
tion, the  agencies  at  work,  their  co-ordination,  and  what  it  is  desirable 
to  achieve,  should  be  prepared. 

Voted,  That  the  committee  to  choose  the  commission  to  prepare  the 
book  of  religious  selections  be  asked  to  select  an  editorial  board  to 
prepare  a  selected  bibliography  of  religious  education. 

Voted,  That  the  same  committee  select  a  commission  to  study  the 
elements  of  an  adequate  religious  education. 

Voted,  That  the  same  committee  select  a  commission  to  study  re- 
ligious statistics. 

Voted,  That  the  Executive  Committee  of  the  Council  be  empowered 
to  call  special  meetings  of  the  Council. 

Voted,  That  the  report  of  the  Nominating  Committee  be  adopted, 
and  that  the  Recording  Secretary  be  authorized  to  cast  lots  for  the 
expiration  of  the  terms  of  all  unassigned  members. 

This  report  was  as  follows: 

For  Chairman,  Dean  Frank  K.  Sanders,  Ph.  D.,  D.  D. 

For  Recording  Secretary,  Rev.  Wilham  Byron  Forbush,  Ph.  D. 

For  additional  members  of  the  Executive  Committee  (the  Chair- 
man, Recording  Secretary,  and  Executive  Secretary,  Dr.  Coe,  being 
exofficio  members),  Walter  L.  Hervey,  Ph.  D.  ;  President  L.  L.  Dog- 
gett.  Ph.  D.;  President  H.  C.  King,  D.  D. 

For  members  of  the  Council: 

Re-elected:  Patterson  Du  Bois;  Principal  Samuel  T.  Dutton;  J.  D. 
Hammond,  D.  D.;  Professor  Charles  R.  Henderson,  D.  D.;  Pro- 
fessor George  W.  Pease;  Professor  E.  D.  Starbuck,  Ph.D.;  Professor 
Frederick  Tracy,  Ph.  D. 

New  Members:  Rev.  James  Atkins,  D.  D.;  Professor  Borden  P. 
Bowne,  LL.  D.;  President  Samuel  Eliot,  D.  D.;  Professor  H.  H. 
Home,  Ph.  D.;  Very  Rev.  Thomas  J.  Shahan,  D.  D.;  Professor  C.  W. 
Votaw,  Ph.  D. 

The  lot  resulted  as  follows: 

Expiration  in  1906;  Bowne,  Brumbaugh,  Butler,  Coe,  Dawson, 
Hervey,  St.  John,  Tillett,  Wells. 

1907:  Baldwin,  Doggett,  Gulick,  Home,  Mathews,  McDowell, 
Miller,  Pace,  Peloubet. 

1908:  Blakeslee,  E.  E.  Brown,  M.  C.  Brown,  Haley,  C.  C.  Hall, 
G.  S.  Hall,  Mead,  See,  Shahan. 


478  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

1909:  Atkins,  Burton,  Fauhce,  Forbush,  Harrower,  Pratt,  Stewart, 
Swain,  Thwing. 

1910:  Dewey,  Harper,  Harris,  King,  McMurry,  Sanders,  Sheldon, 
Spalding,  Taylor,  Tyler. 

191 1 :  Du  Bois,  Button,  Eliot,  Hammond,  Henderson,  Pease,  Star- 
buck,  Tracy,  Votaw. 

Total,  fifty-five. 

Voted,  That  the  Chairman  appoint  a  committee  to  nominate  new 
members,  to  report  at  the  next  session. 

Wm.  Byron  Forbush, 

Recording  Secretary. 

On  behalf  of  the  Directors  of  the  Association,  Ex-President  San- 
ders presented  the  following  resolution  of  appreciation  of  the  work 
of  the  retiring  President,  Rev.  Charles  Cuthbert  Hall,  D.  D.  It  was 
unanimously  adopted. 

RESOLUTION    OF   APPRECIATION   TO    DR.    HALL 

The  members  of  the  Religious  Education  Association  in  attendance 
at  this  Convention  desire  to  place  on  record  an  expression  of  their 
grateful  appreciation  of  the  important  service  rendered  by  their  re- 
tiring President,  the  Rev.  Dr.  Charles  Cuthbert  Hall,  during  this  criti- 
cal year  of  the  history  of  the  Association. 

His  felicitous  presentation  of  the  aims  and  ideals  of  the  Associa- 
tion on  many  public  occasions;  his  profound  faith  in  its  future;  his 
devotion  to  its  immediate  interests;  his  ability  in  commending  it  to 
those  who  are  leaders  in  the  life  and  thought  of  our  nation,  —  have 
given  to  the  movement  strength,  inspiration,  and  stability. 

Graceful  and  grateful  response  was  made  by  President  Hall. 

The  presiding  officer  announced  the  election  of  Rev.  WiUiam  F. 
McDowell,  Bishop  of  the  Methodist  Espiscopal  Church,  Chicago, 
lUinois,  as  President  of  the  Association,  and  introduced  the  newly 
elected  First  Vice-President,  Rev.  W.  H.  P.  Faunce,  D.  D.,  LL.  D., 
President  of  Brown  University,  Providence,  Rhode  Island,  who  re- 
sponded in  behalf  of  the  new  President. 

The  subject  of  the  evening,  "  How  can  We  Quicken  in  the  Indi- 
vidual a  Sense  of  National  and  Universal  Brotherhood,  "  was  discussed 
in  two  addresses,  —  on  "  The  Sacredness  of  Citizenship,  "  by  President 
William  J.  Tucker,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.,  Dartmouth  College,  Hanover,  New 
Hampshire,  and  on  "  The  Mission  of  Christianity  to  the  World,"  by 
President  Charles  Cuthbert  Hall,  D.  D.,  Union  Theological  Seminary, 
New  York  City. 


THE  MINUTES  OF  THE  THIRD  CONVENTION  479 

With  a  prayer  by  Dean  Frank  Knight  Sanders,  Ph.  D.,  D.  D.,  Yale 
Divinity  School,  New  Haven,  Connnecticut  the  Third  Annual  Con- 
vention of  the  ReUgious  Education  Association  was  declared  to  be 
ended. 

DEPARTMENTAL  SESSIONS 

The  Departmental  Sessions  of  the  Convention  were  held  for  the 
most  part  on  Wednesday  and  Thursday  afternoons,  from  2  to  6  o'clock. 
The  several  departments  and  their  places  and  times  of  meeting  were 
as  follows: 

Department  I,  The  Council  of  Rehgious  Education,  held  sessions, 
for  members  only,  in  the  blue  room  of  Tremont  Temple,  at  9  A.  m.  on 
Tuesday  and  Wednesday  mornings,  and  a  public  session  at  10:30  a.  m. 
Tuesday. 

Department  II,  Universities  and  Colleges,  held  two  sessions,  at 
Channing  Hall,  Unitarian  Building,  at  4  o'clock  on  Wednesday  and 
Thursday  afternoons. 

Department  III,  Theological  Seminaries,  held  two  sessions,  —  one 
at  Lorimer  Hall,  Tremont  Temple,  the  other  at  Chipman  Hall,  Tre- 
mont Temple,  at  2  o'clock  on  Wednesday  and  Thursday  afternoons. 

Department  IV,  Churches  and  Pastors,  held  two  sessions,  —  one  at 
Wesleyan  Hall,  the  other  at  Pilgrim  Hall,  Congregational  House,  at 
2  o'clock  on  Wednesday  and  Thursday  afternoons. 

Department  V,  Sunday  Schools;  held  two  sessions,  —  one  at  Lorimer 
Hall,  at  4  o'clock  Wednesday  afternoon;  the  other,  a  joint  session  with 
the  Department  of  Teacher-training,  at  Lorimer  Hall,  at  2  o'clock 
Thursday  afternoon. 

Department  VI,  Secondary  Pubhc  Schools,  held  two  sessions,  —  one 
at  Boston  University  Chapel,  the  other  at  Chipman  Hall,  Tremont 
Temple,  at  4  o'clock,  Wednesday  and  Thursday  afternoons. 

Department  VII,  Elementary  Public  Schools,  held  two  sessions,  — 
one  in  the  blue  room  of  Tremont  Temple  the  other  at  Park  Street 
Church  vestry,  at  4  o'clock  Wednesday  and  Thursday  afternoons. 

Department  VIII,  Private  Schools,  held  no  sessions. 

Department  IX,  Teacher-training,  held  two  sessions,  —  one  at  the 
blue  room,  Tremont  Temple,  Wednesday  afternoon  at  2  o'clock,  the 
other,  a  joint  session  with  the  Department  of  Sunday  Schools,  at  Lori- 
mer Hall,  Tremont  Temple,  Thursday  afternoon  at  2  o'clock. 

Department  X,  Christian  Associations,  held  two  sessions,  at  the 
Y.  M.  C.  A.  Building  at  4  o'clock  on  Wednesday  and  Thursday 
afternoons. 


48o  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

Department  XI,  Young  People's  Societies,  held  two  sessions,  —  one 
at  Wesleyan  Hall,  the  other  at  Pilgrim  Hall,  Congregational  House, 
at  4  o'clock  on  Wednesday  and  Thursday  afternoons. 

Department  XII,  The  Home,  held  two  sessions,  at  Channing  Hall, 
Unitarian  Building,  at  2  o'clock  Wednesday  and  Thursday  afternoons. 

Department  XIII,  Libraries,  held  one  session,  Wednesday  afternoon 
at  2  o'clock,  at  the  Boston  Public  Library. 

Department  XIV,  The  Press,  held  one  session,  Thursday  afternoon 
at  2  o'clock,  at  the  Twentieth  Century  Club. 

Department  XV,  Correspondence  Instruction,  held  two  sessions,  — 
one  at  Park  Street  Church,  Wednesday  morning  at  12  o'clock,  the 
other  at  Small  Hall,  Unitarian  Building,  Thursday  afternoon  at 
2  o'clock. 

Department  XVI,  Summer  Assemblies,  held  one  session,  Wednesday 
afternoon  at  2  o'clock,  at  Small  Hall,  Unitarian  Building. 

Department  XVII,  Religious  Art  and  Music,  held  two  sessions,  at 
Twentieth  Century  Club,  —  one  on  Wednesday  afternoon  at  2  o'clock, 
the  other  on  Thursday  afternoon  at  4  o'clock. 

MINUTES   OF  THE   DEPARTMENTAL  MEETINGS 

The  minutes  of  the  Departmental  Meetings  are  preserved  by  the 
recording  secretaries  of  the  departments.  The  new  departmental 
officers  elected  may  be  seen  in  the  List  of  Officers  of  the  Association 
for  the  current  year,  on  pp.  483-486,  post.  The  programmes  of  the 
Departmental  Meetings  are  indicated  by  the  addresses  reported  under 
each  Department  named  in  the  preceding  pages  of  this  volume. 

AN  EXHIBIT  OF  SUNDAY  SCHOOL  MATERIAL 

An  exhibition  of  religious  education,  relating  to  instruction  in  Prot- 
estant, Roman  Catholic,  and  Jewish  Sunday  schools  was  arranged  by 
Rev.  Milton  S.  Littlefield,  Rev.  W.  W.  Smith,  M.  D.,  Rev.  Richard 
Morse  Hodge,  D,  D.,  Committee  on  Religious  Education  Exhibit  of 
the  Department  of  Sunday  Schools.  The  exhibit  consisted  of  plans 
of  Sunday  school  buildings,  school  furniture,  text-books,  hymn-books, 
reference-books  for  teachers,  Sunday  school  curricula,  pictures,  print 
and  relief  maps,  models  of  Oriental  dwellings,  furniture,  etc.,  and  note- 
books, drawings,  relief  and  surface  map^,  and  other  work  executed  by 
Sunday  school  pupils.  Members  of  the  committee  in  charge  were  on 
hand  to  explain  the  exhibits  and  to  give  demonstrations  in  manual 
methods  of  instrution. 


THE  MINUTES  OF  THE  THIRD  CONVENTION 


481 


THE  BOSTON   COMMITTEE   OF  ARRANGEMENTS 

The  local  preparations  for  the  Convention  and  the  entertainment 
of  the  Convention  during  its  sessions  were  admirably  provided  by  a 
Committee  of  more  than  seventy  representative  citizens  of  Boston, 
whose  names  follow: 

WiNSHiP,  Albert  E.  Lit.  D.  Chairman. 
Means,  Frederick  A.,  Secretary. 
Heath,  Daniel  C.,  Treasurer. 
Allen,  Frederick  B.  Vice-Chairman. 


BowNE,  Borden  P.,  Ph.  D. 
Capen,  Samuel  B.,  LL.D. 
Gushing,  Grafton  D. 
Dole,   Charles  F. 
Dunning,  Albert  E.,  D.D. 
Eliot,  Samuel  A.,  D.D. 
Gordon,  George  A.,  D.D 
Grose,  George  R. 
Hodges,  George,  D.D. 
Mabie,  Henry  C,  D.D. 


Parmenter,  C.  W.,  Lit.  D. 

Perin,  George  L.,  D.D. 

Peabody,  Francis  G.,  D.D. 

Rowley,  Francis  H.,  D.D. 

Shaw,  William. 

Small,  Augustus  D. 

Trueblood,  Benjamin  F. 

Weed,  Alonzo   R. 

Willard,  Horace  M.,  Sc.D. 

Wright,  Theodore  F.,  Ph.D. 
HuLiNG,  Ray  Greene,  A.M.,  Sc.D.,  Chairman  of  Finance  Committee. 
Burr,  Everett,  D.,  D.D.,  Chairman  0}  Committee  on  Halls. 
Chandler,  Edward  H.,  Chairman  0}  Press  Committee. 
Haskell,  Edward  H.,  Chairman  of  Entertainment  Committee. 
Williams,  Appleton  P.,  Chairman  of  Local  Attendance  Committee. 
Flanders,  Ralph  L.,  Chairman  of  Music  Committee. 
Rogers,  Dwight  L.,  Chairman  of  Transportation  and  Hotel  Committee. 
Crawford,  William  C,  Chairman  of  Sight-seeing  Committee. 


Adams,  Charles  H. 
Bailey,  Albert  E. 
Bentley,  Charles  N. 
Blakeslee,   Erastus,   D.D. 
Boyd,  Charles  E. 
Bradner,  Lester,  Jr. 
Brand,  Charles  A. 
Bridgman,  Howard  A. 
Bushnell,  Samuel  C. 
Childs,  Harold  C. 
Cummings,  Edward. 
Farrar,  Frederick  A. 
Gardner,  Robert  H. 
Gates,  Owen  H. 
Goodwin,  Henry. 
Hale,  Harris  G. 
Hartshorn,  W.  N. 
HoRR,  George  E.,  D.D. 
Humphreys,  Richard  C. 
Lathrop,  H.  N. 
Lewis,  Homer  P. 


Macdougall,  H.  C. 

Main,  William  W. 

Maxwell,  Arthur  A. 

Mehaffey,  George  W. 

Merriam,  Edward  F. 

Mills,  Carlton  P. 

Moore,  Edward  C,  Ph.  D.,  D.D. 

Morris,  George  P. 

Morse,  Herbert  L. 

Parker,  Frederick  C.  W. 

Parker,  Henry  C. 

Peabody,  Henry  W. 

Peirce,  Silas. 

Perrin,  W.  T.,  D.D. 

Sears,  Seth. 

Shumway,  Franklin  P. 

SwETT,  Vernon  B. 

Wentworth,    Oliver  M- 

WiCKES,  Frank  S.  C. 

Willard,  Horace  Mann,  Sc.D. 


482  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

THE   GENERAL  ALLIANCE   OF   WORKERS  WITH  BOYS 

The  General  Alliance  of  Workers  with  Boys  held  its  annual  con- 
vention in  connection  with  the  ReHgious  Education  Association.  Pub- 
lic sessions  were  held  as  follows : 

Tuesday  morning  at  10  o'clock  in  Channing  Hall,  Unitarian  Hall. 
Tuesday  afternoon  at  2  o'clock  in  Channing  Hall,  Unitarian  Building. 

William  C.  Bitting, 
William  J.  Parker, 

Secretaries. 


THE  OFFICERS  OF  THE  ASSOCIATION 

1905 

PRESIDENT 
William  Eraser  McDowell    Bishop  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 

VICE-PRESIDENTS 
William  Herbert  P.  Faunce   President  Brown  University,  Providence,  R.  I. 
R.  Douglas  Eraser    Editor  Sunday  School  Publications,  Toronto,  Can. 

F.  W.  GuNSAULUS  President  Armour  Institute,  Chicago,  111. 

G.  Stanley  Hall President  Clark  University,  Worcester,  Mass. 

William  Lawrence Bishop  of  Massachusetts,  Boston,  Mass. 

Hamilton  C.  Macdougall    .  .Professor  Wellesley  College,  Wellesley,  Mass. 
William  J.  McKittrick  ....   Pastor  First  Presbyterian  Chtrch,  St.  Louis,  Mo. 

Frank  N.  McMurry Professor  Columbia  University,  New  York  City. 

Richard  G.  Moulton    Professor  University  of  Chicago,  Chicago,  111. 

Cyrus  Northrop President  University  of  Minnesota,  Minneapolis, 

Minn. 

L.  Clark  Seelye President  Smith  College,  Northampton,  Mass. 

Appleton  p.  Williams President  Massachusetts  Sunday  School  Associa- 
tion, Boston,  Mass. 

Benjamin  Ide  Wheeler    . . .   President  University  of  California,  Berkeley,  Cal. 

EXECUTIVE   BOARD 

The  general  officers  0}  the  Association,  ex-officio 
President,  William  Eraser  McDowell,  Bishop  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 
First  Vice-President,  William  Herbert  P.  Faunce,  President  Brown  University, 

Providence. 
General  Secretary,  Clifford  W.  Barnes,  Chicago,  111. 
Recording  Secretary,  George  Albert  Coe,  Professor  Northwestern  University 

Evanston,  111. 
Treasurer,  James  H.  Eckels,  President  Commercial  National  Bank,  Chicago,  111. 

CHAIRMAN  OF  THE  EXECUTIVE  BOARD 

William  Rainey  Harper  ....  President  University  of  Chicago,  Chicago,  111. 

VICE-CHAIRMAN 

L.  Wilbur  Messer   General  Secretary  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  Chicago,  111. 

William  Lowe  Bryan    President  Indiana  University,  Bloomington,  Ind. 

John  M.  Coulter Professor  University  of  Chicago,  Chicago,  111; 

David  R.  Forgan    Vice-President  First  National  Bank,  Chicago,  111. 

Charles  H.  Hulburd President  Elgin  National  Watch  Company,  Chi- 
cago, 111. 

Charles  Cuthbert  Hall    .  .  .   President  Union  Theological  Seminary,  New  York 

City. 

483 


484  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

Walter  L.  Hervey Examiner  Board  of  Education,  New  York  City. 

Charles  S.  Holt  Attorney  and  Counselor  at  Law,  Chicago,  111. 

Charles  L.  Hutchinson Vice-President  Corn  Exchange  Bank,  Chicago.IU. 

Henry  Churchill  King    ....  President  Oberlin  College,  Oberlin,  Ohio. 

William  Douglas|MacKenzie,  President      Hartford     Theological      Seminary, 

Hartford,  Conn. 

William  P.  Merrill Pastor  Sixth  Presbyterian  Church,  Chicago,  111. 

GiFFORD  PiNCHOT Commissioner  of  Forestry,  Washington,  D.  C. 

George  L.  Robinson  Professor  McCormick  Theological  Seminary  Chi- 
cago, 111. 

Frank  Knight  Sanders Dean  Yale  Divinity  School,  New  Haven,  Conn. 

William  Shaw   Treasurer   United   Society   Christian   Endeavor, 

Boston,  Mass 

Herbert  L.  Willett    Professor  University  of  Chicago,  Chicago,  111. 

BOARD    OF   DIRECTORS 

DIRECTORS   FOR  LIFE 

Frank  Knight  Sanders,  Ph.  D.,  D.  D.,      Dean    Yale    Divinity  School,   New 

Haven,  Conn. 

Charles  Cuthbert  Hall,  D.  D President  Union  Theological  Semi- 
nary, New  York  City. 

DIRECTORS   AT   LARGE 

Nolan  R.  Best Associate  Editor  The  Interior,  Chicago 

111. 

Nehemiah  Boynton,  D.  D Pastor  First  Congregational  Church, 

Detroit,  Mich. 

Edward  L.  Curtis,  D.  D Professor  Yale  Divinity  School,  New 

Haven,  Conn. 

Samuel  A.  Eliot,  D.  D President  Unitarian  Association,  Bos- 
ton, Mass. 

Robert  A.  Falconer,  LL.  D Professor  Presbyterian  College,  Hali- 
fax, N.  S. 

Calvin  H.  French    President     Huron     College,     Huron, 

South  Dakota. 

Richard  D.  Harlem,  D.  D President  Lake  Forest  College,  Lake 

Forest,  111. 

Rev.  Pascal  Harrower Chairman  Sunday  School  Commis- 
sion Diocese  New  York,  New  York 
City. 

Richard  C.  Cecil  Hughes,  D.  D President  Ripon  College,  Ripon,  Wis. 

Robert  L.  Kelley,  Ph.  M President  Earlham  College,  Rich- 
mond, Ind. 

James  H.  Kirkland    Chancellor      Vanderbilt      University 

Nashville,  Tenn. 

John  E.  McFayden,  A.  M Professor    Knox    College,    Toronto, 

Canada. 

Walter  Miller Professor    Tulane    University,    New 

Orleans,  La. 

Samuel  C.  Mitchell,  Ph.  D Professor   Richmond    College,    Rich 

mond,  Va. 


THE  OFFICERS  OF  THE  ASSOCIATION  485 

Allen  B.  Philputt,  D.  D Pastor    Central     Christian     Church, 

Indianapolis,  Ind. 

Edwin  F.  See General  Secretary  The  Young  Men's 

Christian  Association,  Brooklyn, 
New  York. 

Charles  H.  Snedeker  Dean  St.  Paul's  Cathedral,  Cincinnati, 

Ohio. 

Henry  A.  Stimson,  D.  D Pastor     Manhattan     Congregational 

Church,  New  York  City. 

Floyd  W.  Tomkins,  D.  D  Rector  Holy  Trinity  Protestant  Epis- 
copal Church,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 

William  J.  Tucker,  D.  D.,  LL.  D President  Dartmouth  College,  Hano- 
ver, N.  H. 

STATE   DIRECTORS 

California,  John  K.  McLean,  D.  D.,  President  Pacific  Theological  Seminary, 
Berkeley. 

Colorado,  William  F.  Slocum,  LL.  D.  President  Colorado  College,  Colorado 
Springs. 

Z)/5/r/c/ 0/ C<?/Mmi)/a,  GiFFORD  PiNCHOT,  Commissioner  of   Forestry,   Washington. 

Illinois,  W.  E.  Barton,  LL.  D.  Pastor  Congregational  Church,  Oak  Park. 

Indiana,  William  P.  Kane,  D.  D.,  President  Wabash  College,  Crawfordsville. 

Iowa,  Arthur  Fairbanks,  Ph.  D.,  Professor  State  University  of  Iowa. 

Kansas,  Frank  Strong,  Ph.'D.,  President  of  University  of  Kansas,  Lawrence. 

Kentucky,  H.  D.  C.  Maclachlan,  A.  M.,  Pastor  Christian  Church,  Shelbyville. 

Louisiana,  E.  B.  Craighead,  President  Tulane  University,  New  Orleans 

Maine,  Alfred  W.  Anthony,  D.  D.,  Professor  Cobb  Divinity  School,  Lewiston. 

Massachusetts,  Ray  G.  Huling,  Head  Master  English  High  School,  Cambridge. 

Minnesota,  William  H.  Sallmon,  A.  M.,  President  Carlton  College,  Northfield. 

Michigan,  George  Elliott,D.  D.,  Pastor  Central  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
Detroit. 

Mississippi,  Robert  B.  Fulton,  LL.  D.,  Chancellor   University  of  Mississippi. 

Missouri,  James  H.  Garrison,  LL.  D.,  Editor  Christian  EvangeHst,  St.  Louis. 

Nebraska,  Rev.  John  E.  Tuttle,  D.  D.,  Pastor  First  Congregational  Church,  Lin- 
coln. 

New  Hampshire,  Herman  H.  Horne,  Ph.  D.,  Professor  Dartmouth  College, 
Hanover. 

New  Jersey,  Harry  Augustus  G.\rfield,  Professor  Princeton  University,  Prince- 
ton. 

New  York,  William  C.  Bitting,  D.  D.,  Pastor  Mt.  Morris  Baptist  Church,  New 
York  City. 

North  Carolina,  JosiAH  W.  Bailey,  Editor  Biblical  Recorder,  Raleigh. 

North  Dakota,  Edward  H.  Stickney,  State  Superintendent  Congregational  Sun- 
day School  and  Publishing  Society,  Fargo. 

Ohio,  Charles  F.  Thwing,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.,  President  Western  Reserve  University, 
Cleveland. 

Oregon,  Edgar  P.  Hill,  Pastor  First  Presbyterian  Church,  Portland. 

Pennsylvania,  Joseph  Swain,  LL.  D.,  President  Swarthmore  College,  Swarthmore. 

Rhode  Island,  LESTER  Bradnee,  Jr.,  Ph.  D.,  Rector  St.  John's  Epsicopal  Church, 
Providence. 


486  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

South  Carolina,  A.  J.  S.  Thomas,  Editor  Baptist  Courier,  Greenville. 
South  Dakota,  Thomas  Nicholson,  D.  D.,  President  Dakota  University,  Mitchell. 
Tennessee,  B.  L.  WiGGiNS,  Vice-Chancellor  University  of  the  South,  Sewanee. 
Texas,  J.  Frank  Smith,  Pastor  First  Cumberland  Presbyterian  Church,  Dallas. 
Vermont,  Harry  R.  Miles,  Pastor  Central  Congregational  Church,  Brattleboro. 
Washington,  Stephen  B.  L.  Penrose,  President  Whitman  College,  Walla  Walla. 

DEPARTMENT  OFFICERS 

I.    THE  COUNCIL  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 
president 
Sanders,  Frank  K.,  Ph.  D.  D. 

14  Beacon  Street,  Boston,  Mass. 

recording  secretary 
Forbush,  Rev.  William  B.,  Ph.  D. 

New  York  City 

executive  secretary 
CoE,  George  A.,  Ph.  D. 

Professor  Northwestern  University,  Evanston,  111. 


Hervey,  Walter  L.,  M.  A.,  New  York  City. 
Doggett,  L.  L.,  Ph.D.,  Springfield,  Mass. 
King,  Henry  Churchill,  D.D.,  Oberlin,  Ohio. 


//.     UNIVERSITIES  AND  COLLEGES 
president 
Swain,  Joseph,  LL.  D. 

President  Swarthmore  College,  Swarthmore,  Pa. 
RECORDING  SECRETARY 

Hazard,  Caroline,  A.M.,  Litt.D. 

President  Welksley  College,  Welltsley,  Mass. 

Thompson,  William  O.,  D.  D.,  LL.  D. 

President  Ohio  State  University,  Columbus,  O. 

EXECUTIVE  secretary 

Alderman,  Edvi^in  A.,  D.  C.  L.,  LL.  D. 

President  University  of  Virginia,  Charlottesville,  Va. 


Bowne,  Borden  P.,  D.  D. 

Professor  Boston  University,  Boston,  Mass. 

Jesse,  Richard  H.,  LL.  D. 

President  University  of  Missouri,  Columbia,  Mo. 

King,  William  F.,  D.  D.,  LL.  D. 

President  Cornell  College,  Mt.  Vernon,  Iowa. 

Peabody,  Francis  G.,  D.  D. 

Dean  Harvard  Divinity  School,  Cambridge,  Mass. 


THE  OFFICERS  OF  THE  ASSOCIATION  487 

///.     THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARIES 
president 
Mackenzie,  Rev.  William  Douglas,  D.  D. 

President  Hartford  Theological  Seminary,  Hartford,  Conn. 

recording  secretary 
Stuart,  Ch.\rles,  M.,  D.  D. 

Professor  Sacred  Rhetoric,  Garrett  Biblical  Institute,  Evanston,  111. 
EXECUTIVE  SECRETARY 

Mathews,  Shailer,  A.  M.,  D.  D. 

Professor  University  of  Chicago,  Chicago,  111. 


Brown,  William  Adams,  Ph.  D.,  D.  D. 

Professor  Union  Theological  Seminary,  New  York  City. 

Hayes,  Doremus  A.,  Ph.  D.,  LL.  D. 

Professor  Garrett  BibUcal  Institute,  Evanston,  111. 

Jacobus,  Melancthon  W.,  D.  D.,  LL.  D. 

Professor  Hartford  Theological  Seminary,  Hartford,  Conn. 

Nash,  Henry  Sylvester,  D.  D. 

Professor  Episcopal  Theological  School,  Cambridge,  Mass. 


IV.    CHURCHES  AND  PASTORS 

president 
Barnes,  Rev.  L.  Call,  D.  D. 

Pastor  First  Baptist  Church,  Worcester,  Mass. 

Nason,  Rev.  Geo.  Frank,  A.  M. 

New  Rochelle,  N.  Y. 

executive  secretary 
Grosser,  Rev.  John  R.,  D.  D. 

Pastor  Kenwood  Evangelical  Church,  Chicago,  111. 


Elliott,  Rev.  Geo.,  D.  D. 

Pastor  Park  Central  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  Detroit,  Mich. 

Hitchcock,  Rev.  Albert  W. 

Pastor  Second  Congregational  Church,  Worcester,  Mass. 
Hale,  Rev.  Edward  Everett,  D.  D.,  LL.  D. 

Chaplain  of  the  United  States  Senate,  Washington,  D.  C. 
MoxOM,  Rev.  Philip  S.,  D.  D. 

Pastor  Second  Congregational  Church,  Springfield,  Mass. 
Van  Kirk,  Rev.  Robert  W. 

Pastor  First  Baptist  Church,  Jackson,  Mich. 
McVicKAR,  William  N.,  D.  D.,  S.  T.  D. 

Bishop  Diocese  of  Rhode  Island,  Providence,  R.  I. 


V.    SUN  DA  Y  SCHOOLS 
president 
Stewart,  George  B.,  D.  D.,  LL.  D. 

President  Auburn  Theological  Seminary,  Auburn,  N.  Y. 


488  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

RECORDING  SECRETARY 

DxiNNiNG,  Albert  E.,  D.  D. 

Editor  The  Congregationalist,  14  Beacon  Street,  Boston,  Mass. 
EXECUTIVE  SECRETARY 

Stuart,  Charles  M.,  A.  M.,  D.  D. 

Professor  Garrett  Biblical  Institute,  Evanston,  III. 


Brown,  Marianna  C,  Ph.  D. 

35  West  One  Hundred  and  Thirtieth  Street,  New  York  City. 

Burr,  Everett  D.,  D.  D. 

Newton  Center,  Mass. 

Burton,  Ernest  De  Witt,  D.  D. 

Professor  University  of  Chicago,  Chicago,  111. 

Du  Bois,  Patterson, 

Westchester,  Pa. 

Harrower,  Rev.  Pascal,  A.  M. 

West  New  Brighton,  N.  Y. 

Mead,  George  W.,  D.  D. 

Newjjort,  R.  I. 

Littlefield,  Rev.  Milton  S. 

IIS4  Madison  Avenue,  New  York  City. 


VI.    SECONDARY  PUBLIC  SCHOOLS 

president 

Huling,  Ray  Greene,  A.  M.,  Sc.  D. 

Head  Master  English  High  School,  Cambridge,  Mass. 

RECORDING  SECRETARY 

Rynearson,  Edward,  A.  M. 

Director  of  High  Schools,  Pittsburg,  Pa. 

EXECUTIVE  secretary 

Locke,  George  H.,  A.  M. 

Dean  .School  of    Education,    University   of   Chicago;   Editor    School   Review, 
Chicago,  111. 


Bishop,  J.  Remsen,  Ph.  D. 

Principal  Walnut  Hills  High  School,  Cincinnati,  O. 

Smiley,  William  H. 

Principal  East  Side  High  School,  Denver,  Col. 

Smith,  Charles  Alden,  A.  M. 

Principal  Central  High  School,  Duluth,  Minn. 


VII.    ELEMENTARY  PUBLIC  SCHOOLS 
president 
Hervey,  Walter  L.,  Ph.  D. 

Examiner  Board  of  Education,  New  York  City 


THE  OFFICERS  OF  THE  ASSOCIATION  489 

RECORDING  SECRETARY 

RowE,  Stewart  H.,  Ph.  D. 

Supervising  Principal  Lovell  School  District  of  New  Haven,  and  Lecturer  Yale 
University,  New  Haven,  Conn. 

EXECUTIVE  SECRETARY 

Carr,  John  W.,  A.  M. 

Superintendent  of  Schools,  Anderson,  Ind. 


Boone,  Richard  G.,  A.  M.,  Ph.  D. 

Supertendent  of  Schools,  Cincinnati,  Ohio. 

Hatch,  William  H. 

Superintendent  of  Schools,  Oak  Park,  111. 

Hughes,  J.  L. 

Inspector  of  Schools,  Toronto,  Can. 

Lane,  Albert  G.,  A.  M. 

Assistant  Superintendent  of  Schools,  Chicago,  111. 

Nicholson,  Mary  E. 

Principal  Normal  School,  Indianapolis,  Ind. 

Thurber,  Charles  H.,  Ph.  D. 

Messrs.  Ginn  &  Co.,  20  Beacon  Street,  Boston,  Mass. 

Van  Sickle,  James  H.,  A.  M. 

Superintendent  of  Instruction,  Baltimore,  Md. 


VIII.      PRIVATE  SCHOOLS 

PRESIDENT 

McPherson,  Simon  J.,  D.  D. 

Head  Master  Lawrenceville  School,  Lawrenceville,  N.  J. 

recording  secretary 
Carman,  George  Noble, 

Director  Lewis  Institute,  Chicago,  111. 

executive  secretary 
Sloane,  Joseph  C 

Head  Master  Lake  Forest  School,  Lake  Forest,  111. 


Abercrombie,  D.  W.,  LL.  D. 

Principal  Worcester  Academy,  Worcester,  Mass. 

Bliss,  Frederick  L.,  A.  M. 

Principal  Detroit  University  School,  Detroit,  Mich. 

Bragdon,  C.  C. 

Principal  Lasell  Seminary,  Aubumdale,  Mass. 

Johnson,  Franklin  W.,  A.  M. 

Principal  Cobum  Classical  Institute,  Waterville,  Me. 

Webb,  J.  M.,  LL.  D. 

Principal  Webb  School,  Bellbuckle,  Tenn. 

Wood,  Walter  M. 

Superintendent  of  Education,  Young  Men's  Christian  Association,  Chicago,  III. 


490  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

IX.     TEACHER-TRAINING 

PRESIDENT 

HoRNE,  Herman  D.,  Ph.  D. 

Professor  Dartmouth  College,  Dartmouth,  N.  H. 

recording  secretary 
Hodge,  Richard  M.,  D.  D. 

Director  Courses  for  Lay  Workers,  Union  Theological  Seminary,  New  York  City. 

executive  secretary 
Hansel,  John  W. 

President  Y.  M.  C.  A.        Institute  and  Training  School,  Chicago,  111. 


Brown,  Marianna  C,  Ph.  D. 

35  West  One  Hundred  and  Thirtieth  Street,  New  York  City. 

Patten,  Amos  W.,  D.  D. 

Professor  Northwestern  University,  Evanston,  111. 

Pease,  George  W. 

Professor  Hartford  School  of  Religious  Pedagogy,  Hartford,  Conn. 

Reeder,  R.  R.,  Ph.  D. 

Superintendent  New  York  Orphan  Asylum,  Hastings-on-Hudson,  N.  Y. 

SCHAEFFER,  N.  C,  Ph.  D.,  D.  D.,  LL.  D. 

State  Superintendent  of  Instruction,  546  West  James  Street,  Lancaster,  Pa. 

St.  John,  Edward  P. 

Superintendent  New  York  State  Sunday  School  Association,  Prattsburgh,  N.  Y. 
Starbuck,  Edwin  D.,  Ph.  D. 

Earlhara  College,  Richmond,  Ind. 


X.     CHRISTIAN  ASSOCIATIONS 
president 
See,  Edwin  F. 

General  Secretary    Young    Men's    Christian   Association,    502    Fulton     Street, 
Brooklyn,  N.  Y. 

recording  secretary 

Rosevear,  Henry  E. 

State  Executive  Secretary  Young  Men's  Christian  Association,  Louisville,  Ky. 

EXECUTIVE  SECRETARY 

Parker,  William  J. 

Assistant  General  Secretary  Young  Men's  Christian  Association,  Chicago,  111. 


BuDD,  George  S. 

State  Secretary  Young  Men's  Christian  Association,  Columbus,  O. 

Frost,  Edward  W. 

Member  State  Executive  Committee  Young  Men's  Christian  Association;   Milwau- 
kee, Wis.  i 

Hansel,  John  W. 

President  Y.  M.  C.  A.  Institute,  Chicago. 


THE  OFFICERS  OF  THE  ASSOCIATION  491 

JuDSON,  Mrs.  Charles  N. 

President  Board  of  Trustees  International  Board  of  Young  Women's  Ciiristian 
Association;  President  Brooklyn  Young  Women's  Christian  Association,  Brooklyn, 

N.  V. 

Messer,  Mrs.  L.  W. 

Recording  Secretary  American  Committee,  Chicago,  111. 

MtJRRAY,  William  D. 

Member  International  Committee  Young  Men's  Christi  an  Association,  Plainfield, 
N.J. 

DOGGETT,  L.L.,  D.  D. 

Springfield,  Mass. 


XI.     YOUNG  PEOPLE'S  SOCIETIES 


president 


Forbush,  Rev.  William  B.,  Ph.  D. 

New  York  City 

recording  secretary 
Wells,  Amos  R. 

Managing  Editor  Christian  Endeavor  World,  Boston,  Mass. 

executive  secretary 
Howe,  James  L.,  Ph.  D. 

Professor  Washington  and  Lee  University,  Lexington,  Va. 


Jenkins,  Burris  A.,  A.  M.,  D.  D. 

President  Kentucky  University,  Lexington,  Ky. 

LiNDSEY,  Hon.  Benjamin 

Judge  of  County  Court,  Denver,  Colo. 

Meeser,  Spenser  B.,  D.  D. 

Pastor  Woodward  Avenue  Baptist  Church,  Detroit,  ^'Iich. 

Shaw,  William, 

Treasurer  United  Society  of  Christian  Endeavor,  Boston,  Mass. 

Stevenson,  Andrew, 

President  Young  Men's  Presbyterian  Union,  Chicago,  111. 

Taylor,  S.  Earl, 

Editorial  Staff,  Epworth  League  Bible  Courses,  New  York  City. 

Williams,  Appleton  D. 

President  Massachusetts  Sunday  School  Association,  West  Upton,  Mass. 


XII.    THE  HOME 

president 
Henderson,  Charles  Richmond,  Ph.  D.,  D.  D. 

Professor  University  of  Chicago,  Chicago,  111. 

recording  secretary 
Miller,  Mrs.  Emily  Huntington 

57  Trumbull  Street,  New  Haven,  Conn. 


492  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

executive  secretary 
McLeish,  Mrs.  Andrew 

Glencoe.  111. 


Greeley,  Morris 

,  Glencoe,  111. 

Harrison,  Elizabeth, 

Principal  Kindergarten  College,  Chicago,  111. 

Henrotin,  Mrs.  Charles, 

Chicago,  111. 

MacClintock,  Mrs.  W.  D. 

Chicago,  111. 

Starbuck,  Edwin  D.,  Ph.  D. 

Earlham  College,  Richmond,  Ind. 

Taylor,  Graham,  D.  D. 

Professor  Chicago  Theological  Seminary;  Warden  of  Chicago  Commons,  Chicago, 
111. 


XIII.  LIBRARIES 

president 
Bowerman,  George  F.,  B.  L.  S. 

Librarian  Public  Library  District  of  Columbia,  Washington,  D.  C. 

recording  secretary 

Lindsay,  Mary  B. 

Librarian  Free  Public  Library,  Evanston,  111. 

executive  secretary 

Gates,  Herbert  W. 

Librarian  Chicago  Theological  Seminary,  Chicago,  111. 


Brett,  William  H. 

Librarian  Public  Library,  Cleveland,  O. 

Canfield,  James  H.,  LL.  D. 

Librarian  Columbia  University,  New  York  City 

Fletcher,  William  L,  A.  M. 

Librarian  Amherst  College,  Amherst,  Mass. 

MacClintock,  Mrs.  William  D. 

5629  Lexington  Avenue,  Chicago,  111. 

MuLLiNS,  Edgar  Young,  D.  D.,  LL.  D. 

President  Southern  Baptist  Theological  Seminary,  Louisville,  Ky 

Rhees,  Rush,  D.  D.,  LL.  D. 

President  University  of  Rochester,  Rochester,  N.  Y. 

Robinson,  Willard  H. 

Pastor  First  Presbyterian  Church,  Englewood,  111. 


XIV.     THE  PRESS 

president 
Bridgman,  Howard  A. 

Managing  Editor  The  Congregationalist,  Boston,  Mass. 


THE  OFFICERS  OF  THE  ASSOCIATION  493 

recording   secretary 
Young,  Rev.  Jesse  Bowman  D.  D. 

Pastor  Walnut  Hills  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  Cincinnati,  O. 

executive  secretary 
Ellis,  William  T. 

Religious  Editor  Philadelphia  Press,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 


Abbott,  Ernest  H. 

Associate  Editor  The  Outlook,  New  York  City. 

Best,  Nolan  R. 

Associate  Editor  The  Interior,  Chicago,  111. 

CoNANT,  Thomas  O.,  LL.  D. 

Editor  The  Examiner,  New  York  City. 
Garrison,  James  H.,  LL.  D. 

Editor  Christian  Evangelist,  St.  Louis,  Mo. 
McKelway,  a.  J. 

Editor  Presbyterian  Standard,  Charlotte,  N.  C. 


XV.     CORRESPONDENCE  INSTRUCTION 
president 

recording  secretary 
Mallory,  Hervey  F. 

Secretary  Correspondence-Study  Department,  University  of  Chicago,  Chicago,  111. 

executive  secretary 
Cuninggim,  Jesse  Lee 

Director  Correspondence  School  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  South,  Vanderbili 
University,  Nashville,  Tenn. 


Anthony,  Alfred  W.,  D.  D. 

Professor  Cobb  Divinity  School,  Lewiston,  Me. 

Chamberlin,  Georgia  L. 

Executive  Secretary  American  Institute  of  Sacred  Literature,  Chicago,  111. 
CoLLEDGE,  William  A.,  D.  D. 

Dean  American  School  of  Correspondence  at  Armour  Institute  of  Technology, 
Chicago,  111. 

Innis,  George  S.,  Ph.  D.,  D.  D. 

Professor  Hamline  University;  President  College  Section  Minnesota  Educational 
Association,  St.  Paul,  Minn. 

Kimball,  Kate  F. 

Executive  Secretary  Chautauqua  Literary  and  Scientific  Circle,  Chicago,  111. 


XVI.     SUMMER  ASSEMBLIES 

president 
Vincent,  George  E.,  Ph.  D. 

Professor  University  of  Chicago;  Principal  of  Chautauqua  Instruction,  Chicago,  111. 

recording  secretary 
Horswell,  Charles,  Ph.  D.,  D.  D. 

Pastor  Union  Church,  Kenilworth,  111. 


494  THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

EXECUTIVE  SECRETARY 

HuLLEY,  Lincoln,  Ph.  D. 

President  John  B.  Stetson  University,  De  Land,  Fla. 


Dabney,  Charles  W.,  Ph.  D.,  LL.  D. 

President  University  of  Tennessee,  Knoxville,  Tenn. 

Falconer,  Robert  A.,  Lit.  D.,  LL.  D. 

Principal  Presbyterian  College,  Halifax,  N.  S. 

Parks,  Edward  L.,  D.  D. 

Professor  Gammon  Theological  Seminary,  South  Atlanta,  Ga. 

PiLCHER,  M.  B. 

Manager  Monteagle  Summer  Assembly,  Nashville,  Tenn. 


XVII.     RELIGIOUS  ART  AND  MUSIC 
president 
Winchester,  Caleb  T.,  L.  H.  D. 

Professor  Wesleyan  University,  Middletown,  Conn. 

recording  secretary 
Beard,  Harington 

624  Nicollet  Avenue,  Minneapolis,  Minn. 

executive  secretary 
Pratt,  Waldo  S.,  Mus.  D. 

Professor  Hartford  Theological  Seminary,  Hartford,  Conn. 


Bailey,  Henry  Turner 

Agent  Massachusetts  Board  of  Education,  North  Scituate,  Mass. 

Cady,  J.  Cleveland 

6  West  Twenty-second  Street,  New  York  City. 

Farnsworth,  Charles  H. 

Professor  of  Music,  Columbia  University,  New  York  City. 

Gow,  George  C,  Mus.  D. 

Professor  Vassar  College,  Poughkeepsie,  N.  Y 

MacClintock,  William  D. 

Professor  University  of  Chicago,  Chicago,  111. 

Magee,  Harriet  Cecil 

Teacher  State  Normal  School,  Oshkosh,  Wis. 


THE  MEMBERS  OF  THE  ASSOCIATION 


ALABAMA 


Bates,  Geo.  E.,  Rev. 
Brown,  Walter  S.,  Rev. 
Clarke,  Almon  T.,  Rev. 
Dillingham,  Pitt,  Rev. 
Harte,  a.  C,  Rev. 
Maness,  Plato  Griffin 


Metcalf,  John  M.  P. 
Mitchell,  B.  G.,  Rev.,  A.  M. 
MURFEE,  H.  O.,  A.  M. 
Rice,  John  A.,  Rev. 
Snedecor,  James  G.,  Rev. 


ARIZONA 

Schafer,  F.  H.,  Rev. 


ARKANSAS 


Barrett,  Frank,  Rev. 
HoLLETT,  C.  M.,  Ph.D.,  D.D. 
Little,  Fred,  Rev. 
Reynolds,  John  Hugh,  A.  M. 
Walls,  Polk  W.,  A.  M. 


institutions 


Hendrix  College 
Ouachita  College 


CALIFORNIA 


Allison,  William  Henry,  Rev. 

Bade,  William  F.,  Ph.  D. 

Baldwin,  Cyrus  G.,  Rev. 

Bement,  Howard,  Ph.  D. 

Boyd,  Thomas,  Rev.,  D.  D. 

Brewer,  John  Marks,  B.  S. 

Briggs,  Arthur  H.,  Rev.,  D.  D. 

Briggs,  Herbert  F.,  Rev.,  S.  T.  B. 

Brown,  Arthur  P.,  Rev. 

Brown,  Charles  R.,  Rev. 

Brown,  Elmer  E.,  Ph.  D. 

BucKHAM,  John  W.,  A.  B. 

Day,  Thomas  F.,  D.  D. 

Day,  William  Horace,  Rev.,  A.  M. 

Dennett,  Edward  Power,  Rev.,  D.D. 

Ferguson,  Wilbert  P. 

Fisher,  Charles  R. 

Fulmer,  L.  Roy,  S.  T.  B. 

Kellogg,  Francis  B. 

Kling,  W.  a. 

Leavitt,  Bradford,  Rev. 

Lloyd,  Louis  D.,  Rev. 

Lovejoy,  Irving  Roscoe,  Rev.,  A.  M., 

S.  T.  B. 
Macaulay,  Joseph  P.,  Rev. 
Maile,  John  L.,  Rev. 
Marston,  Geo.  W. 
McLean,  John  Knox,  D.  D. 


Mills,  Benj.  D. 

Mowbray,  Henry  B.,  Rev. 

Nash,  Charles  S.,  A.  M.,  D.  D. 

Palmer,  Burton  M.,  Rev. 

Parsons,  Edward  Lambe,  Rev.,  A.  B. 

Patten,  Arthur  B.,  Rev. 

Roger,  Jay  Geo.  Rev.,  Ph.  D. 

RuESS,  Christopher,  Rev. 

ScuDDER,  William  H.,  Rev. 

Sibley,  Josiah,  Rev. 

Smither,  a.  C,  Rev.,  A.  M. 

spr.a.gue,  o.  s.  a. 

Van  Kirk,  Hiram,  Rev.,  Ph.  D. 

White,  Sherman  M.,  Rev. 

White,  Willis  G.,  Rev. 

Wicher, Arthur  A.,  Rev.,  A.  M.,  B.D. 

Williams,  Wm.  John,  Rev.,  B.  D. 

Zahn,  Edwin  L. 

institutions 

Irving  Institute 

Pacific  Theological  Seminary 

Sunday  School  Commission  of  the 
Diocese  of  California 

Trinity  Methodist  Episcopal  Sun- 
day School 

Unitarian  Theological  School 


495 


496 


THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


COLORADO 


Alderson,  Victor  C. 
Countermine,  J.  L.,  Rev.,  D.D. 
Banner,  William  Mason 
Eggleston,  Julius  Wooster 
Forward,  DeWitt  Daniel,  Rev.,  A.M. 
Gove,  Aaron,  LL.  D. 
Johnson,  S.  Arthur 
Kimball,  Clarence  O.,  Rev.,  Ph.  D. 
Parson,  Edward  S.,  A.  M.,   B.  D., 
Litt.  D. 


Patton,  Horace  B.,  Ph.  D. 
Petty,  Orville  A.,  Rev. 
PiNKHAM,  Henry  W.,  Rev. 
Slocum,  William  F.,  Rev.,  LL.  D. 
Smiley,  William  H. 
Tyler,  B.  B;,  Rev.,  D.  D. 
Webb,  Clarence  E.,  Rev. 
Work,  Edgar  A.,  Rev.,  D.  D. 


CONNECTICUT 


AcKERMAN,  Arthur  W.,  Rev.,  D.  D. 

AcKLEY,  J.  B.,  Rev.,  A.  M. 

Adams,  John  Coleman,  Rev.,  A.  M., 

D.D. 
Addison,  Charles  Morris,  Rev. 
Allen,  E.  K. 

Ashworth,  Robert  A.,  Rev. 
Bacon,  BenjaminW.,  Rev.,  D.  D., 

Litt.  D. 
Barbour,  John  Humphrey,  Mrs. 
Bates,  E.  J. 

Beadle,  Harry  A.,  Rev.,  A.  B. 
Beard,  Gerald  H.,  Ph.  D. 
Berry,  Louis  F.,  Rev. 
Bigelow,  Warren  Daniels,  A.  M. 
BiNNEY,  John,  Rev.,  D.  D. 
Bishop,  N.  Lee. 
Blakeley,  Quincy,  Rev. 
Brown,  T.  Edwin,  Rev.,  D.  D. 
Burnham,  Waterman  R. 
Burt,  Enoch  Hale,  Rev.,  A.  M. 
BusHEE,  George  A.,  Rev. 
Calhoun,  Newell  M.,  Rev. 
Carter,  Frederic  R.,  Rev. 
Cone,  Mary  Gates,  Miss 
Colt,  Luman  C. 
CoLTON,  Alcott,  B. 
Craig,  Geo.  A. 
Cummings,  Mrs.  W.  H. 
Curtis,    Edward    L.,   Rev.,  Ph.  D., 

D.  D. 
Cutler,  Ralph  W.  Mrs. 
Davis,  William  H. 
Dawson,  George  E.,  Ph.  D. 
Devitt,  Theophilus.  S.,  Rev., Ph.D., 

D.D. 
DoANE,  Frank  B.,Rev.,  B.  D. 
Elmer,  Franklin  D.,  Rev. 
Ensign,  Joseph  R.,  M.  A. 
Evans,  S.  E. 
Friborg,  Emil,  Rev. 
Garfield,  John  P.,  Rev. 
Gerrie,  a.  W.,  Rev. 
Gillett,  a.  L.,  Prof. 
Grant,  John  Hiram,  Rev. 
Greene,  Frederick  W.,  Rev. 


Hall,  William  H. 

Hazen,  Austin,  Rev. 

Hazen,  Azel  W.,  Rev.,  D.  D. 

HiLLiARD,  Mary  R. 

Holmes,  William  T.,  Rev. 

Hotchkiss,  Ada  S. 

Hull,  Robert  Chipman,  Rev.,  A.  B. 

Hyde,  Frederick  S.,  Rev. 

Hyde,  George  F. 

Ives,  Charles  L.  Mrs. 

Jacquith,  Chas.  a. 

*Jacobus,  Melancthon   W.,    D.  D., 

LL.  D. 
Kellogg,  George  A.,  Mrs.  A.  B. 
Kelsey,  Henry  H.,  Rev. 
Kent,  Charles  F.,  Ph.  D. 
Kidder,  B.  F.,  Rev.,  Ph.  D. 
*Knight,  Edward  H.,  Rev. 
Landers,  Warren  P.,  Rev. 
Lathrop,  William  G.,  Rev. 
Leete,  William  White,  D.  D. 
Lewis,  Everett  E.,  Rev. 
LoTZE,  William  G. 
Lutz,  Adam  R.,  Rev.,  A.  M. 
^Mackenzie,      William       Douglas, 

D.D. 
Marsh,  F.  W. 

Mathews,  S.  Sherberne,  Rev.,  D.  D. 
Maurer,  Oscar  E. 
McAllister,  Cloyd  N. 
McDuffee,  Chas.  Brown,  Rev.,  A.  B., 

B.  D. 
Miller,  Emily  Huntington  Mrs. 
Mitchell,  Edwin  Knox,  D.  D. 
Mutch,  William  J.,  Rev.,  Ph.  D. 
Olmstead,  Edgar  H.,  Rev. 
Pease,  George  W. 
Perkins,  Henry  A. 
Persons,  F.  P. 
Phelps,  Oscar  A. 
Porter,  Frank  C,  Ph.  D.,  D.  D. 
Porter,  Lucius  Chapin 
Potter,  Rockwell  Harmon,  Rev. 
Pratt,  Lewellyn,  Rev.,  D.  D. 
Pratt,  Waldo  S.,  Mus.  D. 
Ranney,  William  W.,  Rev. 


THE  MEMBERS  OF  THE  ASSOCIATION 


497 


Rice,  William  N.,  Ph.  D.,  LL.  D. 

Richmond,  Geo.  C,  Rev. 

Roberts,  H.  B.,  Rev. 

Robinson,  Charles  F.,  Rev. 

Rodman,  Emily  T. 

Sanfokd,  Charles  E.,  M.  D. 

Sanford,  Ralph  A. 

Sears,  Langley  Barn.\s,  Rev. 

Smith,  Mrs.  Eliza  I. 

Smith,  Erwin  K. 

Sneath,  E.  Hershey,  Ph.  D.,  LL.  D. 

St.  John,  Edward  P. 

Stearns,  William  F.,  Rev.,  A.  M. 

Strong,  Frederick  C. 

Talmadge,  Elliott  Ford,  Rev. 

Terrill,  Bertha,  Miss 

Thayer,  Charles  S.,  Ph.  D. 

TiMM,  John  A.,  Rev. 


Tuthill,  Wm.  B.,  Rev. 

Tweedy,  Henry  Hallam,  Rev. 

Twichell,  Joseph  H.,  Rev. 

Walker,  Williston,  Ph.  D.,  D.  D. 

Walkley,  Frances  S. 

Webster,  Lillian  M. 

West,  Lester  L.,  Rev.,  D.  D. 

White,  Charles  E. 

Williams,  Mary  L. 

Williams,  Samuel  H. 

Wilson,  Edna  E. 

Winchester,  Caleb  T.,  L.  H.  D. 

Worcester,  Edward  S.,  Rev. 

institutions 
First  Baptist  Sunday  School 
Hartford  Theological  Seminary 
Yale  University  Library 


DELAWARE 

D.\NFORTH  Nathan  B. 

institutions 
Wilmington  Institute  Free  Library 


DISTRICT  OF  COLUMBIA 


Amos,  Henry  Cooper 
Craig,  Arthur  W.,  B.  S. 
Emerson,  Sara  A. 
Foster,  Mrs.  J.  Ellen 
Johnson,  B.  F. 
Lamson,  Franklin  S. 
Moorland,  J.  E. 
Pierce,  Lyman  L. 
Pinchot,  Gifford 


Power,  Frederick  D.,  Rev.,  LL.  D. 
Rideout,  Melvin  B. 
Simon,  Abram 
TwiTCHELL,  Francis,  Miss 
Warnman,  Frederick  Conover 

institutions 
New  Church  League  of  Young  Peo- 
ple's Societies 


Norton,  Helen  S.,  A.  M. 


FLORIDA 

I  Welch,  Moses  C,  Rev.,  A.  M. 


GEORGIA 


Cree,  Harvard  T.,  Rev. 
KiLPATRicK,  William  Heard,  A.  M. 
KiRBYE,  J.  Edward,  Rev. 
Maclean,  Joseph 
Parks,  Edward  L.,  D.  D. 
Sale,  George,  Rev.,  A.  M. 


Ware,  Edward  T.,  Rev. 

institutions 
Atlanta  Theological  Seminary 
Carnegie  Library,  of  Atlanta 
University  of  Georgia  Library 


MiLLiKEN,  Charles  D.,  Rev. 
Roth,  James  A. 


HAWAII 

I     SCUDDER,  DOREMUS,  D.  D.,  M.  D. 


498 


THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


ILLINOIS 


Abel,  Clarence,  Rev. 

Adams,  J.  B. 

Adams,  Edwin  Augustus,  Rev.,  D.D. 

Allen,  Mrs.  Anna  Beck,  A.  M. 

Allworth,  John,  Rev. 

Ames,Edward  Scribner,  Rev.,  Ph.D. 

Atkinson,  P.  C. 

Bailey,  Edward  P. 

Baird,  Lucius  O.,  Rev. 

Baldwin,  Henry  R. 

fBALDWiN,  Jesse  A. 

Barnes,  Clifford  W.,  A.  M. 

fBARTLETT,  AdOLPHUS  C. 

Barton,  William  E.,  Rev.,  D.  D. 

Bateson,  Frederick  W.,  Rev.,  A.M. 

Beard,  Frederica 

Beaton,  David,  Rev.,  D.  D. 

Beck,  Lafayette  D.,  Rev. 

Becker,  Abraham  G. 

Belfield,  Henry  H. 

Benninghoff,  Harry  Baxter,  Ph.B. 

Bentall,  E.  G.,  Rev. 

Bergen,  Abram  G.,  Rev.,  A.  M. 

Best,  Nolan  R. 

Best,  William 

Bestor,  O.  p..  Rev. 

Blair,  John  A.,  Rev. 

Booth,  W.  Vernon 

Bronson,  Solon  C,  D.  D. 

Brouse,  Olin  R.,  a.  M. 

Brown,  Daniel  M. 

Brown,  George  P. 

Brown,  James  A.,  Rev. 

Brown,  William  L. 

Bryant,  Stowell  L.,  Rev. 

Burgess,  Isaac  B. 

Burlingame,  George  E.,  Rev.,  D.  D. 

BuRNHAM,  Frederick  W.,  Rev. 

Burns,  William  M. 

Burt,  Frank  H. 

Burton,  Ernest  DeWitt,  D.  D. 

Burtt,  Joseph  B.,  A.  B.,  LL.  B. 

Burwell,  Leslie  M.,  A.  B.,  D.  B. 

Butler,  John  Harding 

Butler,  Nathaniel,  A.  M.,  D.  D. 

Byrnes,  John  H.,  M.  D. 

Campbell,  James  M.,  Rev.,  D.  D. 

Cantwell,  J.  S.,  Rev.,  A.  M.,  D.  D. 

Carman,  George  Noble 

Carr,  Clyde  M. 

Carrier,  Augustus  S.,  D.  D. 

Carus,  Paul,  LL.  D. 

Chalmers,  James,  Rev.,  D.  D. 

Chamberlin,  Georgia  L. 

Chamberlin,  Orlando  E. 

Chase,  Wayland  J. 

Clark,  Maud  G.,  Mrs. 

*tCoE,  George  Albert,  Ph.  D. 

Cole,  John  Adams 

CoLLEDGE,  William  A.,  D.  D. 


Cook,  John  W.,  A.  M.,  LL.  D. 

Cook,  Mrs.  Elizabeth  B.,  A.  M. 

Cooke,  Ralph  W. 

Cope,  Henry  F.,  Rev. 

*Coulter,  John  Merle,  Ph.  D. 

Craig,  Eber  E. 

Grosser,  John  R.,  Rev.,  D.  D. 

Crouse,  J.  N.  Mrs. 

Culton,  Anna 

Curtis,  Edward  H.,  Rev.,  D.  D. 

Dark,  Charles  L.,  Rev. 

Day,  W.  H. 

Dean,  LasCasas  L. 

De  Blois,   Austen  Kennedy,   Rev., 

D.D. 
Dewhurst,  Frederic  E.,  Rev.,  D.  D. 
Dexter,  Stephen  B.,  Rev. 
Dickerson,  J.  Spencer 
Dickey,  Samuel,  A.  M. 
Dodds,  Robert,  M.  D. 
Dougherty,  Newton  C,  Ph.  D. 
Driver,  John  M.,  Rev.,  D.  D. 
fEcKELS,  James  Herron 
Ehler,  George  W.,  C.  E. 
EisELEN,  Frederick  C. 
Elliott,  Ashley  J. 
Ensign,  Frederick  G. 
ExLEY,  C.  A.,  A.  B. 
Eyles,  William  J.,  Rev. 
Fairman,  Jane 

Faville,  John,  Rev.,  Ph.  D.,  D.  D. 
Fensham,  Florence  A.,  B.  D. 
Ferguson,  William  D. 
Field,  Marshall 
Flint,  Joseph  F.,  Rev. 
Ford,  J.  S. 

Ford,  S.  T.,  Rev.,  D.  D. 
Foster,  George  B. 
Freeman,  Henry  V.,  A.  M. 
French,  Howard  D.,  Rev. 
Fritter,  Enoch  A.,  A.  M. 
Frost,  Henry  Hoag 
Frost,  T.  P.,  Rev.,  D.  D. 
Gammon,  Robt.  W.,  Rev. 
Galbreath,  Mrs.  William  F. 
Gates,  Herbert  Wright 
George,  Joseph  Henry,  Ph.D.,  D.D. 
Gilbert,  Newell  D. 
Gilbert,  Simeon,  Rev.,  D.  D. 
Grant,  Lillian  White,  Mrs. 
Gray,  George  W.,  D.  D. 
Greeley,  Morris  L. 
Green,  Jessie  L. 

Greene,  Ben/amin  A.,  Rev.,  D.  D. 
Greenman,  a.  V. 
Greenwood,  Victor  L.  Rev. 
Griffith,  Mrs.  Jennie  S. 
Gulliver,  Julia  H. 
Gunsaulus,  Frank  W.,  Rev.,  D.  D. 

*tHAEGER,  ThUSNELDA,  Ph.  B. 


THE  MEMBERS  OF  THE  ASSOCIATION 


499 


Hagstrom,  G.  Arvid,  Rev. 
*Hansel,  John  W. 
Hardinge,  Margaret 
Harker,  Joseph  R.,  Ph.  D. 
Harlan,  Richard  D.,  Rev.,  D.  D. 
Harper,  Edward  T.,  Ph.  D. 
*tHARPER,   William   R.,   Ph.  D.,  D. 

D.,  LL.  D 
Hartwell,  H.  Linwood,  Rev. 
Hartzell,  Morton  C,  Rev. 
Hatch,  William  H. 
Hawkins,  H.  B. 
Hawley,  Fred  V.,  Rev. 
Hayes,  Doremus  A.,  Ph.  D.,  S.T.D., 

LL.  D. 
fHEGELER,  Edward  C. 
*Henderson,  Charles  R.,  Ph.  D.,  D. 

D. 
Henkle,  William  H. 
Herrick,   Henry  M.,    Rev.,    A.  M., 

Ph.D. 
Heuver,  G.  D.,  Rev. 
Hibbard,  Mary  B.,  Mrs. 
Hieronymus,  Robert  E.,  A.  M. 
HoDSON,  D.  L. 

Holgate,  Thomas  F.,  Ph.  D. 
Holmgren,  J.  A. 
fHoLT,  Charles  S. 
Hopkins,  Florence  E. 
Horswell,   Charles,  Rev.,  Ph.  D., 

D.  D. 
Hotton,  J.  Sidney 
HoucHENS,  Walter  O. 
Howe,  George  H.,  Ph.  D. 
Howell,  C.  B.  D. 
Houtll,  W.  J.,  Rev.,  A.  B. 
Hulbert,  Eri  B.,  D.  D.,  LL.  D. 
tHuTCHiNSON,  Charles  L. 
Jackson,  John  L.,  Rev.,  D.  D. 
James,  Edmund  J.,  Ph.  D.,  LL.  D. 
Johonnot,  R.  F.,  Rev. 
Jones,  Jenkin  Lloyd,  Rev. 
Jones,  Lester  Bartlett,  A.  B. 
Jones,  Silas,  A.  M.,  D.  B. 
Kimball,  Frank 
Kimball,  Kate  F. 
Klng,  a.,  Mr. 
Lahman,  William  H. 
Lane,  Albert  G.,  A.  M. 
Lanphear,  H.  M.,  Mrs. 
Latham,  H.  L.,  A.  M.,  S.  T.  M. 
Laughlin,  J.  W.,  Rev.,  D.  D. 
ILawson,  Victor  F. 
Leavitt,  J.  A.,  Rev.,  D.  D. 
Lester,  A.  G. 
Lewis,  F.  G.,  Prof. 
Lindsay,  Alfred  L. 
Lindsay,  Mary  B. 
Little,  Arthur  M.,  Rev.,  Ph.  D. 
Little,  R.  M.,  Rev. 
LoBA,  Jean  Frederic,  Rev.,  D.  D. 
Locke,  George  H.,  A.  M. 


Lord,  John  B.,  Mrs. 
Lov\t)en,  Frank  O. 
Lynn,  Jay  Elwood,  Rev.,  A.  M. 
MacChesney,  Nathan  W. 
MacClintock,  William  D. 
MacClintock,  William  D.  Mrs. 
MacMillan,  Thomas  C. 
Mallory,  Hervey  F. 
Marsh,  Charles  A. 
Martin,  M.  W. 
Mason,  Hattie  D.,  Mrs. 
Mathews,  Shailer,  A.  M.,  D.  D. 
Matz,  Rudolph 
McCollum,  G.  T.,  Rev. 
McCormick,  Harold  F. 
fMcCoRMiCK,  Stanley  M. 
McCulloch,  Frank  H. 
*McDowELL,  William  Eraser,  Ph.  D., 

S.  T.  D. 
McKee,  William  P.,  A.  M. 
McKibben,  William  K. 
McKiNLOCK,  Geo.  A. 
McLean,  Lester,  Jr. 
McLeish,  Andrew 
*McLeish,  Andrew,  Mrs. 
McMiLLEN,  W.  F.,  Rev.,  D.  D. 
McWiLLiAMS,  Lafayette  '"^ 

Merrill,  William  P.,  Rev.,  D.  D. 
*tMESSER,  L.  Wilbur 
Messer,  L.  Wilbur,  Mrs. 
Metcalf,  Paul  H.,  Rev. 
Miller,  J.  E.,  A.  M. 
Miller,  Kerby  S.,  Rev 
Milligan,  Henry  Forsythe,  A.  M. 
Mills,  John  Nelson,  Rev.,  A.  M., 

D.  D. 
Moncrief,  John  W. 
Moor,  George  Caleb,  Rev.,  A.  M., 

Ph.D. 
moorehead,  frederick  b.,  d.  d.  s., 

M.  D. 

Morgan,  Oscar  T.,  Rev.,  Ph.  D. 
Mudge,  Elisha,  Rev. 
Munger,  Orett  L. 
Nelson,  Aaron  Hayden,  A.  M. 
Nicholson,  James  C. 
Norton,  Alice  P.,  Mrs.,  A.  M. 
Norton,  William  B.,  A.  M.,  Ph.  D. 
Notman,     William     Robson,     Rev., 

D.  D. 
Gates,  James  F. 
Osborne,  Naboth,  Rev.,  A.  M. 
Owen,  William  Bishop,  Ph.  D. 
Page,  Herman,  Rev. 
Page,  Mary  B.,  Mrs. 
Palm,  Charles,  Rev. 
Parker,  Alonzo  K.,  Rev.,  D.  D. 
Parker,  C.  M. 
Parker,  William  J. 
Parkhurst,  Matthew  M.,  Rev.,  D.D. 
Parks,  Edward  L.,  D.  D. 
Patten,  Amos  W.,  D.  D. 


500 


THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


Patten,  Henry  J.,  Ph.  B. 

Perkins,  J.  G. 

Pike,  Granville  Ross,  Rev.,  A.  M. 

Porter,  Ora  H.,  Mrs. 

Pruen,  J.  W.,  Rev. 

Rhodes,  Helen,  Mrs. 

Rice,  T.  F. 

Robertson,  Ina  Law 

Robinson,  George  L.,  Ph.  D. 

Robinson,  Willard  H.,  Rev. 

Robbins,  M.  C. 

Roe,  Charles  M. 

Rogers,  Euclid  B.,  Rev.,  D.  D. 

Rosenquist,  Eric  J.  A.,  Rev. 

RuNYAN,  Walter  Leroy 

Savage,  G.  L.  F.,  Rev.,  D.  D. 

Scheible,  Albert 

Scott,  John  W. 

Scott,  Robert  S.,  Mrs. 

Scott,  Walter  D.,  Ph.  D. 

Scoville,  Charles  R.,  Rev.,  A.  M., 

LL.  D. 
Selden,  F.  H. 
Sharman,  Henry  Burton 
Sheets,  Frank  D.,  Rev. 
Sherer,  Samuel  J. 
Sherer,  William  G. 
Sherman,  Edwin  T. 
Sherman,  Franklyn  Cole,  Rev. 
*SissoN,  Edward  O.,  Ph.  D. 
Sloane,  Joseph  Curtis 
Small,  Albion  W.,  Ph.  D.,  LL.  D. 
Smith,  Gerald  Birney 
Smith,  James  R.,  Rev. 
Smith,  John  M.  P.,  Ph.  D. 
SoARES,  Theodore  G.,  Ph.  D.,  D.  D. 
Staekey,  L.  V. 
Staudt,  Calvin  K.,  A.  M. 
Stearns,  Wallace  Nelson,  Ph.  D. 
Stevenson,  Andrew 
Stewart,  Charles  S. 
Stirling,  William  Robert 
Stockwell,  John  W.,  Jr.,  Rev. 
Strain,  Horace  L.,  Rev. 
Strong,  Sidney,  Rev.,  D.  D. 
Stuart,  Charles  M.,  A.  M.,  D.  D. 

SWERTFAGER,  GeORGE  A.,  ReV. 

Sylvester,  Clare,  B.  B. 

Taft,  Lorado 

Taylor,  Alva  W.,  Rev. 

Taylor,  Graham,  D.  D. 

Tenney,  William    Lawrence,  Rev 

Thoman,  Leroy  Delano 


Thomas,  D.  F.,  Rev.,  A.  M. 
Thompson,  M.  A. 
Thorp,  Willard  B.,  Rev. 
Tompkins,  Arnold,  A.  M.,  Ph.  D. 
Tompkins,  DeLoss  M.,  Rev.,  A.  M., 

D.  D. 
TuLLER,  Edward  P.,  Rev. 
Turner,  George  H. 
VanArsdall,  Geo.  B.,  Rev.,  A.  M. 
Van  Inwegen,  Mary  B.,  Mrs. 
Vance,  Joseph  A.,  Rev.,  D.  D. 
fViNCENT,  George  E.,  Ph.  D. 
VosE,  Frederic  Perry 
*tVoTAW,  Clyde  Weber,  Ph.  D. 
VoTAW,  Elihu  H.,  Mrs. 
Wacker,  Charles  H. 
Walcott,  Gregory  Dexter 
Ward,  Harry  F.,  Rev. 
Wells,  F.  A. 

Wheeler,  Arthur  Dana,  A.  M. 
Wheelock,  H.  B. 
Wickes,  William  R. 
Wilder,  William  H.,  A.  M.,  D.  D. 
Wiley,  S.  Wert 

*tWiLLETT,  Herbert  L.  Ph  D  . 
Williams,  Alice  L.,  Mrs. 
Wilson,  C.  J.,  Rev. 
Wilson,  Lucy  L. 
Winchester,  Benjamin  S.,  Rev. 
Witter,  Marcus  A.,  Rev. 
*WooD,  Walter  M. 
Wyant,  a.  R.  E.,  Rev.,  Ph.  D. 
Young,  Charles  A.,  Rev. 
Zeller,  J.  C,  B.  A.,  B.  D. 
Zenos,  Andrew  C,  Rev.,  D.  D. 

institutions 

American    Institute      of      Sacred 

Literature 
Centenary     Methodist     Episcopal 

Sunday  School 
Chicago  Theological  Seminary 
EvANSTON  Free  Public  Library 
John  Crerar  Library 
Lake  Forest  College 
Men's  Normal  Bible  Class  of  the 
Young  Men's  Christian  Association 
Northwestern  College 
Northwestern  University 
Peoria  Public  Library 
University  of  Chicago 
Wither's  Public  Library 


IDAHO 

CowDEN,  John  G.,  Rev. 


INDIAN  TERRITORY 
Howard,  George  P.,  Rev. 


THE  MEMBERS  OF  THE  ASSOCIATION 


501 


INDIANA 


Blunt,  Harry,  Rev. 
Bryan,  William  L.,  Ph.  D. 
Carpenter,  George  C,  Rev. 
Carr,  John  W.,  A.  M. 
Coleman,  Christopher  B. 
Cross,  William  Reid,  Rev. 
Darby,  W.  J.,  Rev. 

ElKENBERRV,  DaVID  F.,  ReV.,  Ph.   B. 

Farr,  Morton  A.,  Rev.,  A.  M. 
Feuerlicht,  Morris  M.,  Rabbi 
Francis,  Arthur  J.,  Rev. 
Garrison,  Winfred  Ernest,  Rev. 
GoBiN,  Hillary  A.,  Rev.,  D.D.  LL.D 
Haines,  Matthias  L.,  Rev.,  D.  D. 
Halpenny,  E.  Wesley,  Rev.,  S.  T.  L. 
Hanson,  A.  W. 
Hill,  Harry  Granison,  Rev.,  A.  M. 

HO.AGLAND,  DeSCOM  D.,  ReV.,  S.T.B. 

Horstman,  J.  G.,  Rev. 
Hughes,  Edwin  H.,  S.  T.  D. 
Jones,  William  H. 
Kane,  William  P.,  D.  D. 
Kelly,  Robert  Lincoln,  Ph.  M. 
Lyons,  S.  R.,  Rev.,  D.  D. 


McKenzie,    John   Heywakd,     Rev., 

A.  M.,  Ph.  D. 
Mott,  Thomas  Abbott,  A.  M. 
Nicholson,  Mary  E. 
Pearcy,  James  B. 
Philputt,  Allan  B.,  Rev.,  D.  D. 
Rice,  Perry  James,  Rev. 
Russell,  Elbert,  A.  M. 
Semelroth,  Wm.  J. 
Smith,  Ernest  Dailey,  Rev.,  S.T.B. 
Stansfield,  Joshua,  Rev.,  D.  D. 
Starbuck,  Edwin  D.,  Ph.  D. 
TxNSLEY,  Charles  William,  Rev. 
Tippy,  Worth  M.,  Rev. 
Ullrick,  Delbert  Sylvester,  Rev. 
VoKNHOLT,  E.,  Rev. 
Wiles,  Ernest  P.,  A.  M. 
Wylie,  Wm.  H.,  Rev.,  A.  M.,  B.  D. 

institutions 
Earlham  College 
Indiana  University,  Bloomington 
Public  Library,  South  Bend 
Valparaiso  College 


IOWA 


Bell,  Hill  M.,  A.  M. 

Bradley,  Daniel  F.,  D.  D. 

Breed,  Reuben  L.,  Rev. 

Brett,  Arthur  W.,  Mrs. 

Cady,  George  L. 

Cessna,  Orange  H. 

Day,  Ernest  E.,  Rev. 

Empey,  F.  D.,  Rev. 

Fairbanks,  Arthur,  Rev.,  Ph.  D. 

Frizzell,  John  W.,  Rev.,  Ph.  D. 

Haggard,  Alfred  M.,  A.  M. 

H.^NDY,  Elias,  a.  B.,  a.  M. 

Hodgdon,  Frank  W.,  Rev. 

Johnstone,  N.  W. 

King,  William  F.,  D.  D.,  LL.  D. 

MacLean,  George  E.,  Ph.D.,  LL.  D. 

Marsh,  Robert  L.,  Rev. 

Moore,  W.  Howard,  Rev. 

Olmstead,  Margaret  Titus,  Rev. 


OSBORN,  LORAN  D.,  ReV.,  Ph.  D. 

Osgood,  Robert  Storrs,  Rev. 
Paddock,  George  E.,  Rev. 
Pearson,  William  L.,  Ph.  D. 
PiEESEL,  Alba  C,  A.  M. 
Robinson,  Emma  A. 
Severn,  Hermon  H. 
Sinclair,  R.  B. 
Smith,  Otterbein  O.,  Rev. 
Stoops,  J.  Dashill,  Rev.,  Ph.  D. 
Taylor,  Glen  A.,  Rev. 
Thoren,  Herman  H.,  Ph.  D. 
Waite,  Oren  B.,  Rev. 
Wight,  Ambrose  S.,  Rev. 

institutions 
Cornell  College 
Drake  University 


KANSAS 


Bayles,  J.  W.,  Rev. 

Bolt,  Wm.  W.,  Rev. 

Cakruth,  William  H.,  Ph.  D. 

CoNOLLY,  Charles  Parker,  Rev. 

Frantz,  Edward,  A.  M. 

Ingham,  J.  E.,  Rev. 

Miller,  John  C,  Rev.,  A.  M.,  D.  D. 

MuRLiN,  Lemuel  H.,  Rev.,  S.  T.  D. 

Nicholson,  George  E. 

Payne,  Wallace  C. 

Price,  Maude 

Price,  Silas  Eber,  Rev. 


ScRUTON,  Charles  A. ' 
Springston,  Jenkins,  Ph.  D 
Strong,  Frank,  Ph.  D. 
Strong,  Frank  P.,  Rev. 
Wakefield,  George  C. 
Wilcox,  Alexander  M.,  Ph.  D. 
Wilkinson,  Jasper  Newton 

institutions 
Baker  University 
University  of  Kansas 


502 


THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


KENTUCKY 


Armstrong,  Cecil  J.,  Rev. 

Dickens,  J.  L.,  Ph.  D.,  D.  D.,  LL.  D. 

Enelow,  H.  G.,  D.  D. 

Frost,  William  Goodell,  D.  D. 

Hampton,  W.  J. 

Hill,  -Albert  S.,  Ph.  D. 

HuBBELL,  George  A.,  Ph.  D. 


Jenkins,  Burris  A.,  A.  M.,  D.  D. 

Maclachlan,  H.  D.  C,  Rev.,  A.  M. 

Montague,  H.  E. 

MuLLiNS,  Edgar  Young,  D.  D.,  LL.D. 

Ramsay,  W.  H.,  Rev. 

RosEVEAR,  Henry  E. 

Waddill,  C.  J. 


FooTE,  Henry  W.,  Rev. 
Kent,  John  B.,  Rev. 
Miller,  Walter 
Newhall,  Alfred  A.,  A.  M. 
Perkins,  R.  W.,  D.  D. 


LOUISIANA 

Vaughan,  Robert  W.,  Rev. 

institutions 
Tulane  University  Library 


MAINE 


Anthony,  Alfred  W.,  D.  D. 

Briggs,  James  Franklin 

Chapman,  Henry  Leland,  D.  D. 

CoAR,  A.  H.,  Rev 

Cochrane,  J.  E.,  Rev. 

Colby,    George    C,    Rev.,    D.    D., 

LL.  D. 
Cutler,  Charles  Herrick,   Rev. 
DeGarmo,  E.  a.,  Mrs. 
Denio,  Francis  B.,  Rev.,  D.  D. 
Frost,  Robert  D.,  Rev.,  A.  M. 
Fulton,  Albert  C,  Rev. 
Garcelon,  Frances,  Miss 
Gardiner,  Robert  H.,  A.  B. 
Gates,  Carl  Martel,  Rev. 
Hamilton,  Henry  H.,  Rev.,  A.  B., 

LL.D. 
Harrington,  Karl  Pomeroy,  A.  M. 
Hayes,  Benjamin  Francis,  D.  D. 
Howe,  James  Albert,  D.  D. 
Hulbert,  Henry  Woodward,  M.  A., 

D.  D. 


Hyde,  William  DeWitt,  D.  D.  LL.  D. 
Johnson,  Franklin  W.,  A.  M. 
Jump,  Herbert  A.,  Rev. 
Krumreig,  E.  L.,  Rev.,  A.  M. 
Lincoln,  Howard  A.,  Rev. 
Marsh,  Edward  L.,  Rev. 
Mason,  Edward  A. 
McCurdy,  Chas.  H. 
Metcalf,  L.  H.,  Rev. 
Moulton,  Warren  Joseph,  Ph.  D. 
Ogier,  Walter  W.,  Rev. 
Perkins,  John  C,  Rev. 
Peterson,  Oscar  W.,  Rev. 
PuRiNTON,  Herbert  R.,  Prof.,  A.M. 
Ropes,  C.  J.  H.,  D.  D. 
SiMMONDS,  N.  M.,  Rev.,  B.  A. 
Snow,  B.  P.,  Rev.,  A.  M. 


institutions 
The  University  of  Maine 


MARYLAND 


Apple,  Joseph  H.,  A.  M. 
Baldwin,  J.  Mark,  Ph.  D.,  LL.  D. 
Brosnahan,  Timothy,  Rev. 
Dodd,  Charles  Hastings,  Rev. 
Ellicott,  Elizabeth  K. 
Goucher,  John  F.,  Rev. 
HoBSON,  A.  A.,  Rev.,  Ph.  D. 
King,  Aubrey  E.,  Mrs. 
Ranck,  Clayton  H.,  Rev. 


Smith,  R.  Lynes 
Springer,  Ruter  W.,  Rev. 
VanMeter,  J.  B. 
VanSickle,  James  H.,  A.  M. 


institutions 


Enoch  Pratt  Free  Library 
John  Hopkins  University 


MASSACHUSETTS 


Abercrombie,  D.  W.,  LL.  D. 
Adams,  Frederick  C. 


Allen,  Henry  Mott,  B.  A. 
Allen,  Pliny  A.,  Jr.,  Rev.,  B.  D. 


THE  MEMBERS  OF  THE  ASSOCIATION 


503 


Ames,  Charles  Gordon 

Andrews,  Ellen 

Antrim,  Eugene  M.,  Rev. 

Arnold,  George  F. 

Babcock,  Arthur  Dwight 

Bailey,  Adelaide  P.,  Mrs. 

Bailey,  Dudley  P. 

Bailey,  Albert  E. 

Bailey,  Henry  Txjrner 

Balch,  Elizabeth  A. 

Baldwin,  William  A. 

Ballantine,     William    G.,     D.   D., 

LL.  D. 
Barber,  Elliott  B.,  Rev. 
Barker  Herbert  A. 
*Barnes,  Lemuel  C,  Rev.,  D.  D. 
Barnes,  L.  Call,  Mrs. 
Barry,  Corinna 
Barton,  James  L.,  Rev.,  D.  D. 
Bassett,  Austin  B.,  Rev. 
Bates,  Walter  C. 
Batt,  William  J.,  Rev. 
Bean,  Abram  L.,  Rev. 
♦Beatley,  Clara  Bancroft,  Mrs. 
Beebe,  Frank 
Belknap,  Arthur  T.,  A.  B.,  A.  M., 

B.  D. 
Berry,  William  Frederic 
Biggs,  S.  R.  H.,  D.  B. 
Bissell,  Flint  M.,  Rev. 
Blackburn,  Alex.,  Rev.,  D.  D. 

tBL.'VKESLEE,  ErASTUS,  ReV. 

Blanchard,  Henry,  Rev.,  D.  D. 
BooKW alter,  Alfred  Guitner,  B.  A., 

M.  A. 
Borden,  Ariadne  J. 
Borden,  Anna  H. 
BowNE,  Borden  P.,  Ph.  D.,  LL.  D. 
Brackett,  Elliott  G.,  Mrs. 
Bradford,  Emery  L.,  Rev. 
Bradley,  Edward  E.,  Rev. 
Braithwaite,     E.     Ernest,    A.    M. 

Ph.  D. 
Branch,  Ernest  William 
*Brand,  Charles  A.,  Rev. 
Breyfogle,  Caroline  M.,  A.  B. 
Bridgman,  Howard  A.,  Rev. 
Brown,  Marian  K. 
BuMSTEAD,  Arthur,  Ph.  D. 
*BuRR,  Everett  D.,  Rev.,  D.  D. 
Bushnell,  Samuel  C,  Rev. 
Butler,  Ernest  S. 
Butler,  Frank  E.,  Rev. 
Campbell,  Andrew,  Rev. 
Capen,  Edward  W.,  Mrs. 
Capen,  Samuel  B.,  A.  M.,  LL.  D. 
Carter,  Charles  F.,  Rev. 
Carter,  John  F.,  Rev. 
Carter,  Mrs.  H.  H. 
Carter,  Richard  B. 
Gary,  Seth  C.,  Rev. 


Chalmers,  Andrew  B.,  Rev. 

Chamberlain,  George  D. 

Chandler,  Edward  H.,  Rev. 

Chew,  Thomas 

Clarke,  Lillian  Freeman 

Coburn,  Charles  A.,  Ph.  B. 

Cole,  Thomas  L.,  Rev. 

Con  ant,  Hamilton  S. 

Conner,  Ralph  Everett,  Rev.,  B.D. 

Cooper,  Knowles  William 

Covell,  Arthur  J.,  Rev.,  A  .M.,  B.  D. 

Craig,  Helen  M.,  Mrs. 

Crothers,  Samuel  M.,  D.  D. 

CuMMiNGS,  Edward,  Rev. 

Gushing,  Grafton  Dulany,  A.  M., 

LL.  B. 
Dale,  Mrs.  Eben 
Davis,  Albert  P.,  Rev. 
Davis,  Gilbert  G. 
Davis,  William  V.  W.,  Rev.,  D.  D. 
*Day,  Charles  O.,  D.  D. 
Dick,  Samuel  M.,  A.  M.,  Ph.  D. 
Dike,  Samuel  W.,  Rev.,  LL.  D. 
Dingwell,  James,  Rev. 
DiNGWELL,  James  D.,  Rev. 
Dixon,  Joseph  L. 
DoGGETT,  L.  L.,  Ph.  D. 
Donovan,  Winfred  Nichols 
Douglass,  R.  S. 

Dumm,  B.  Alfred,  Rev.,  Ph.  D. 
Dunning,  Albert  E.,  D.  D. 
Dyer,  Almon  J.,  Rev. 
Eager,  Harriet  A.,  Mrs. 
Earnshaw,  Albert  F.,  Rev. 
Ekins,  Grove  Frederic,  A.  B.,  B.  D. 
Eldredge,  Ernest  Wilton,  Rev. 
Eliot,  Christopher  R.,  Rev. 
Eliot,  Samuel  A.,  Rev.,  D.  D. 
Endicott,  Eugene  F.,  LL.  D. 
Evans,  Daniel,  Rev. 
Everett,  Eugene  E.,  Mrs. 
Farwell,  Parvis  Thaxter,  Rev. 
Faucon,  Catherine  W. 
Fearey,  Thomas  H.,  A.  M. 
Fielden,  Joseph  F.,  Rev. 
Fisher,  Angie  B.,  Mrs. 
Fisher,  Galen  M.,  B.  L. 
Fletcher,  William  L,  A.  M., 
Flint,  George  H.,  Rev.,  A.  M. 
FooTE,  Arthur 
Foster,  Augustine  N.,  Rev. 
Fuller,  George  W.,  Rev. 
Gardner,  Frederick  M.,  Rev. 
Gates,  Owen  H.,  Rev.,  Ph.  D. 
Genung,  John  F.,  Rev.,  Ph.  D. 
Gibson,  H.  W. 
Gilbert,  George  H.,  Rev.,  Ph.  D., 

D.  D. 
Gilman,  Bradley,  Rev. 
Goodrich,  Lincoln  B.,  Rev. 
Goodyear,  DeMont,  S.  T.  B.,  Ph.D. 


504 


THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


Gordon,    William    Clark,    A.    M., 

Ph.D. 
Gow,  John  Russell,  Rev. 
Gray,  Ira  E.,  Miss 
Green,  Charles  A. 
Green,  George  F.,  Rev. 
Gregg,  James  Edgar,  Rev.,  A.  M., 

B.  D. 
Greul,  Frederick  B.,  D.  D. 
Guild,  Fanny  Carlton 
Guss,  Roland  W.,  A.  M. 
Haggerty,  William  Armstead,  A.M., 

S.  T.  B. 
Hale,  Edward  E.,  Rev.,  D.  D.  LL.  D. 
Hale,  George  H. 
Hall,  Edwin  Buckner 
*Hall,  G.  Stanley,  Ph.  D.,  LL.  D. 
Hall,  Newton  M.,  Rev. 
Hardy,  Edwin  Noah,  Rev. 
Harrington,  Charles  Edward,  Rev., 

D.  D. 
Harris,  George,  D.  D.,  LL.  D. 
Hartshorn,  W.  N. 
Harvey,  Chas.  Woodruff,  A.  M. 
Haslett,  Samuel  B.,  Ph.  D. 
Hathaway,  Edward  S. 
Hazard,  Caroline,  A.  M.,  Litt.  D. 
Hazard,  M.  C,  Ph.  D. 
Hay,  H.  Clinton,  Rev.,  A.  B. 
Heath,  Daniel  C,  A.  M. 
Hervey,  Henry  D.,  A.  M. 
Hersey,  Harry  Adams,  A.  B. 
Hill,  Don  Gleason,  LL.  B.,  A.  M. 
Hiller,  Charles  C.  P.,  Rev.,  S.T.B. 
*HiTCHC0CK,  Albert  W.,  A.  M. 
Holmes,  Alice  M.,  Miss,  B.  D. 
Hopkins,  Henry  M.,  D.  D.,  LL.  D. 
HoRNE,  I.  W.,  Prof. 
Horner,  Thomas  Jay,  Rev. 
HoRR,  George  E.,  Rev.,  D.  D. 
Howard,  Ethel  L. 
Howard,  Thomas  D.,  Rev. 
Howe,  Chester  H.,  A.  B.,  B.  D. 
HoYT,  Henry  N.,  Rev,  D.  D. 
HuLiNG,   Ray   Greene.,   A.  M.,   Sc. 

D. 
Humphrey,  Richard  C. 
Huntington,  C.  W.,  Rev.,  D.  D. 
Hyde,  Henry  K. 
James,  D.  Melancthon,  Rev. 
Johnson,  Alice,  Miss 
Johnson,  Arthur  S. 
Keedy,  John  L.,  Rev. 
Kendall,  Edward 
Kendrick,  Eliza  H.,Ph.  D. 
Kenngott,  George  F.,  Rev.,  A.  M. 
KiLBON,  John  Luther,  Rev. 
Kimball,  Frank  W.,  A.  B. 
Kirsch,  Natalie 
Knight,  Joseph  King,  D.  D.  S. 
Knowles,  Richard,  Rev.,  Ph.  D. 
Lauderbaum,  Frederic  Curtiss 


*Lawrence, William,  Rt.  Rev.,  D.  D., 

S.  T.  D. 
Lee,  Samuel  H.  Rev.,  A.  M. 
Lefavour,  Henry,  Ph.  D.,  LL.  D. 
Leonard,  Mary  Hall 
Lincoln,  Howard  A. 
Litchfield,  William  E. 
Little,  Arthur,  Rev.,  D.  D. 
Locke,  Adelaide  L,  A.  B.,  S.  T.  B 
Logan,  John  W. 

Loomis,  Samuel  Lane,  Rev.,  D.  D. 
Lovett,  Elizabeth  R.,  Mrs., 
Lowell,  D.  O.  S.,  A.  M.,  M.  D. 
*Macfarland,    Charles     S.,    Rev. 

Ph.  D. 
Mason,  D.  Charles  F.,  A.  B. 
Matthews,  John  H.,  Rev. 
McKeag,  Anna  Jane,  Ph.  D. 
Means,  Frederick  H.,  Rev. 
Mehaffey.  George  W. 
Merriam,  Edmund  F.,  Rev.,  D.  D. 
Merrick,  Frank  W.,  Rev.,  Ph.  D. 
Merrill,  Charles  C,  Rev. 
Merrill,  Geo.  Plumer 
Merrill,  Helen  A.,  A.  M.,  Ph.  D. 
Merriman,  Daniel,  Rev.,  D.  D. 
Mieir,  Charles  F. 
Millar,  Morgan  A.  B. 
Mills,  Carlton  Putnam,  Rev. 
Milton,  Lucy  A.,  B.  D. 
Mitchell,     Hinckley    G.,   Ph.     D. 

S.  T.  D. 
Moll,  Edward 

Moore, Caroline  Sheldon,  A.  B. 
Moore,  Edward  C,  D.  D. 
Morse.  Mrs.  Samuel  T. 
MosHER.  George  F.,  LL.  D. 
Moulton,  J.  Sidney 
MowRY,  William  A.,  Ph.  D. 
MoxoM,  Philip  S.,  Rev  ,  D.  D. 
Nash,  C.  Ellwood,  A.  M.,  D.  D. 
Nash,  Henry  Sylvester,  D.  D. 
Neilson  Nellie,  Ph.  D. 
Norton,  Stephen  A.,  Rev.,  D.  D. 
NoYES,  Charles  L.,  Rev. 
NoYES.  Edward  M.,  Rev. 
tNoYES,  Henry  D. 
Packard,  Annie  E. 
Paine,  George  Lyman,  M.  A.,  B.  D. 
Paine,  Robert  Treat,  Jr. 
Parker,  Frederic,  C.  W. 
Parkhurst,  Mary  A. 
Peabody,  Endicott,  Rev.,  D.  D. 
Peabody,  Francis  G.,  D.  D. 
*Peloubet,  Francis  N.,  Rev.,  D.D. 
Percival,  Charles  H.,  Rev. 
Perrin,  Willard  T.,  Rev. 
Phelps,  Lawrence,  Rev. 
Pinkham,  George  R.,  A.  M. 
Place,  Charles  A. 
Potter,  Ernest  T.,  Rev. 
Power,  Charles  W. 


THE  MEMBERS  OF  THE  ASSOCIATION 


50s 


•i=Pkay,  J.  S. 

Prescott,  Josephine,  F.,  Miss 

Prince,  John  Tilden,  Ph.  D. 

Prudden,  Theodore  P. 

Redfield,  Isabella  T. 

Reed,  David  Allen 

Reed,  Henry  B. 

Remington,  Clinton  V.  S. 

Rhoades,  Winfred  C,  Rev. 

Rice,  Charles  F.,  Rev.,  D.D. 

Rice,  Walter,  Rev. 

Rich,  William  Thayer,  Rev. 

Richardson,  Cyrus  N. 

Richardson,  Edward  A. 

Roberts,  Albert  E. 

Roberts,  W.  Dewee 

RoBSON,  Frank  Huson,  A.  M. 

Rogers,  Dwight  Leete 

Rollins,  Elizabeth,  Miss 

Rollins,  W.  H.,  Rev. 

Ropes,  James  Hardy 

Ropes,  William  Ladd,  Rev.,  A.  M. 

Rowley,  Francis  H.,  D.  D 

Rudd,  Edward  H.,  B.  D.,  A.  M. 

Sanders,  Frank  Knight,  D.  D.,  Ph.D 

Savage,  William  B. 

Scott,  Charles  S.,  Rev.,  A.  B. 

Scoville,  Augustus  E.,  Rev. 

Secrist,  Henry  T.,  Rev. 

Seelye,  L.  Clark,  D.  D.,  LL.  D. 

Sew  all,  John  L.,  Rev. 

Sewall,  Jotham  B.,  a.  M,.  D.  D. 

Shaw,  James  A.,  Rev. 

*tSHAW,  William 

Shipman,  Frank  R.,  Rev. 

Shipman,  William  R. 

Shultis,  Newton 

Shumway,  Franklin  P. 

Sims,  Thomas,  Rev.,  D.D. 

Sleeper,  H.  D. 

Sleeper,  W.  W.,  Rev. 

Small,  Augustus  D. 

Smith,  Albert  D.,  Rev. 

Smith,  Henry  Goodwin,  Rev.,  D.  D. 

Smith,  Henry  Preserved,  Rev.,  D.  D. 

Snow,  Walter  B. 

Snyder,  William  H. 

Spaulding,  Henry  G.,  Rev. 

Springer,  George  H. 

Stackpole,  Markham  W..  Rev. 

Stebbins,  Flora  Violet 

Steele,  Miss  Adoline  M. 

Stevens,  Charles  E.,  A.  M. 

Stone,  Ellen  M.,  Miss 

Sutton,  Edwin  O. 

Swain,  Edith  L.,  A.  B. 

Swan,  Mrs.  Joshua  A. 

Swett,  Vernon  B. 

Taylor,  Edward  M.,  Rev.,  D.  D. 

Tewksbury,  Geo.  A.,  Rev. 

Thayer,  Herbert  E.,  Rev.,  A.  B. 

Thayer,  William  Greenough,  Rev, 


Thomas,  Reuen,  Rev.,  Ph.  D.,  D.  D. 
Thurber,  Charles  H.,  Ph.  D. 
TiLTON,  George  H.,  Rev. 
Tower,  Wm.  Hogarth,  Rev. 
Turk,  Morris  H.,  Rev.,  Ph.  D. 
Vandemark,  Wilson  E.,  Rev. 
Varley,  Arthur,  Rev. 
Verbeck,  Ida  S.,  Mrs. 
Vinton,  Alexander  H.,  Rt.  Rev. 
Vogt,  VonOgden 

Voorhees,  J.  Spencer,  Rev.,  A.  M. 
Waldron,   Daniel  W.,  Rev.,  A.  S., 

A.  M. 
Ward,  W.  D. 
Ware,  Louie  Erville 
Waterhouse,  F.  a.,  Mrs. 
Weed,  Geo.  M.,  A.  B. 
Wells,  Amos  R. 
Wendte,  Charles  W.,  Rev. 
Weston,  Sidney  Adams,  Ph.D. 
Wheeler,  Carleton  Ames 
Wheeler,  E.  C,  Rev. 
Wheelock,  Katrine 
*Wheelock,  Lucy 
White,  Mabel  A.  R.,  Mrs. 
Whittemore,  William  F. 
Wilder,  Herbert  A. 
Wilkens,  G.  H.,  Mrs. 
WiLLARD,  Horace  M.,  Sc.  D. 
Williams,  Annie  G. 
Williams,  Appleton  P. 
Williamson,  James  S.,  Rev. 
WiNKLEY,  Samuel  H.,  Rev. 
WiNSHip,  A.  E.,  Ph.  D. 
Wood,  Irving  F.,  Ph.  D. 
Wood,  W.  A.,  Rev.,  A.  M.,  S.  T.  B. 
Woodbridge,  Richard  G.,  Rev. 
WooDROW,  Samuel  H.,  Rev. 
WooLLEY,  Mary  E.,  Litt.  D. 
Wright,  Theodore  F.,  Ph.  D. 
Wriston,  Henry  L.,  Rev. 
York,  Burt  Leon,  Rev.,  M.  A. 
Ziegler,  Charles  L. 

institutions 

Boston  University,  School  of  The- 
ology 

Bradford  Academy 

Congregational  Sunday  School 
Superintendents'  Union  of  Bos- 
ton AND  Vicinity 

Divinity  School  of  Harvard  Uni- 
versity 

Episcopal  Theological  School 

Fall  River  District  Sunday  School 
Association 

General  Theological  Library,  The 

Harvard  College  Library 

PIarvard  University  Divinity 
School 

MiLLiCENT  Library,  The 

Mount  Holyoke  College 


So6 


THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


South  Congregational  Sunday 
School 

South  Congregational  Young  Peo- 
ple's Society  of  Christian  En- 
deavor 


State  Normal  School 
Universalist    Sunday     School    or 

Our  Father 
Wellesley  College 


MICHIGAN 


Alexander,  A.  O.,  Rev. 

Angell,  James  B.,  LL.  D. 

Barr,  Alfred  H.,  Rev. 

Beardslee,  John  W.,  A.  M.,  D.  D. 

Beman,  Wooster  Woodruff,  A.  M. 

Bishop,  J.  Remsen,  B.  A. 

Bliss,  Frederick  Leroy 

BoYNTON,  Nehemiah,  Rev.,  D.  D. 

BUELL,  L.  E. 

BuRTT,  Benjamin  H.,  Rev. 

Carter,  Ferdinand  E.,  Rev. 

Coleman,  Horace  E.,  B.  S. 

CoLER,  George  P. 

Collin,  Henry  P.,  Rev.,  A.  M. 

Daniels,  Eva  J. 

Dascomb,  H.  N.,  Rev. 

Day,  Alfred 

Deforest,  Heman  P.,  Rev.,  D.  D. 

Elliott,  George,  Rev.,  D.  D. 

Ewing,  William,  Rev. 

FiNSTER,  Clarence,  Rev. 

Fischer,  William  J. 

Foster,  Edward  D. 

Gelston,  Joseph  Mills,  Rev. 

Gray,  Clifton  D.,  Rev.,  Ph.  D 

Hadden,  Archibald,  Rev.,  D.  D. 

Hammond,  Frank  E. 

Harris,  Hugh  Henry,  Rev.,  B.  A. 

Herrick,  Jullien  a..  Rev.,  Ph.  D. 

Hicks,  Henhy  W.,  Rev. 

Hoben,  T.  Allan,  Rev. 

HuTCHiNS,  A.  J.,  Rev. 

Lake,  E.  M.,  Rev. 

Lancaster,  Elsworth  Gage 

Logan,  Wellington  McMurtey 

MacGurn,  Georgian  Olive,  B.  E. 

Mauck,  Joseph  W.,  A.  M.,  LL.  D. 

McCollester,  Lee  S.,  Rev.,  D.  D. 


McDermand,  B.,  Rev. 

McDowell,  Jno.,  Rev. 

McLaughlin,  Robert  W.,  Rev.,  D.  D. 

Meeser,  Spenser  B.,  Rev.,  D.  D. 

Morris,  Isaiah  S.,  M.  D. 

Morris,  S.  T.,  Rev. 

Neill,  Henry,  Rev.,  A.  M. 

Ott,  John  William,  Rev.,  B.  D. 

Patchell,  Chas.  T.,  Rev. 

Perry,  Ernest  B.,  M.  E. 

Puffer,  William  Martin,  A.  M.,  D.D. 

Randall,  J.  Herman,  Rev. 

Rogers,  Joseph  M.,  Rev. 

Searle,  Frederick  E. 

Severence,  Lemuel,  Rev. 

Stowell,  C.  B. 

Stowell,  Myron  C. 

Sutherland,  John  W.,  Rev.  D.  D. 

Sweet,  Franklin  W.,  Rev. 

VanKirk,  Robert  W.,  Rev. 

Vinton,  G.  Jay 

Wallin,  V.  A. 

tWARREN,  Edward  K. 

Warren,  Leroy,  A.  M.,  D.  D. 

Warriner,  Eugene  C. 

Waterman,  Leroy,  A.  B.,  B.  D. 

Wenley,  Robert  M.,  Sc.  D.,  Ph.  D., 

LL.D. 
Wheeler,  Clara 

Wilson,  William  John,  Rev.,  S.  T.  D. 
Wright,  W.  K.,  Rev. 

institutions 
Albion  College,  Department  of  the 

English  Bible 
Grand  Rapids  Public  Library,  The 
Public  Library,  The  Detroit 
State  Normal  College 


MINNESOTA 


Beard,  Harrington 

Boynton,  Richard  W.,  Rev. 

Clarke,  Mrs.  Anna  Y. 

Crandall,  Lathan  a.,  Rev.,  D.  D. 

Fowler,  Arthur  Thomas,  Rev.,  D.D. 

Gilchrist,  Neil  A.,  Rev. 

Hallock,  Leavitt  H.,  Rev.,  D.  D. 

Harrington,  CM. 

Heermance,  Edgar  L.,  Rev.,  A.  M. 

Holmes,  L.  P.,  Rev. 

Innis,  Geo.  S.,  Ph.  D.,  D.  D 


Lyman,  Frederick  W. 
Martin,  Charles  J. 
Mathie,  Karl  M. 
Merrill,  George  R.,  D.  D 
Norton,  William  Wellington 
Pope,  Edward  R.,  Rev. 
Pressey,  Edwin  S.,  Rev. 
Prucha,  Vaclav,  Rev. 
Robbins,  Mrs.  D    R. 
Rollins,  G.  S.,  Rev. 
Sallmon,  William  H.,  A.  M. 


THE  MEMBERS  OF  THE  ASSOCIATION 


507 


Scott,  L.  G 
Scott,  Mrs.  L.     G. 
Shepard,  Elgin  R. 
Smith,  Charles  Alden,  A.  M. 
Smith,  Samuel  G.,  D.  D.,  LL.  D. 
Strong,  James  W.,  D.  D. 
Sutherland,  J.  B. 
Thomas,  Percy,  Rev. 


Waller,  W.  C.  A.,  Rev. 
White,  Ada  E. 
White,  Frederick 
Young,  Ernest  W.,  LL.  M. 

institutions 
Plymouth  Congregational  Sunday 
School,  Minneapolis 


MISSISSIPPI 


Brown,  J.  W.  H.,  Rev. 
Dickens,  J.  L.,  Ph.  D.,  LL.  D.,  D.  D. 
Foster,  Mrs.  William  W.,  Jr. 
Fulton,  Robert  B.,  A.  M.,  LL.D. 
Hunter,  John  D.,  Rev. 


Owen,  Samuel  H.  C,  A.  M. 
Stamps,  C.  T.,  Rev.,  D.  D. 
Sydenstricker,     Hiram     M.,  Rev., 
A.  M.,  Ph.  D. 


MISSOURI 


Aldrich,  Alice  M. 

Allen,  L.  L. 

Baird,  W.  T. 

Bernard,  Taylor,  Rev. 

*Bitting,  Wm.  C,  Rev.,  D.  D 

Bolt,  William  W.,  Rev. 

BuLLARD,  Herny  N.,  Rev.,  Ph.  D. 

Bushnell,  Albert,  Rev.,  D.  D. 

Darby,  William  L.a.mbert,  Rev. 

Duckworth,  E.,  Rev. 

dunlop,  j.  d. 

FiFiELD,  J.  W.,  Rev.,  A.  M.,  D.  D. 

Garrison,  James  H.,  LL.  D. 

GooDSON,  C.  Polk,  Rev. 

Hays,  Wm.  B.,  Rev. 

Hicks,  W.  C,  Rev. 

Hoover,  Oliver  P.,  Rev.,  B.  A.,  M.  A. 

HowLAND,  Clark  P.,  A.  M. 

Jesse,  Richard  H.,  LL.  D. 

Jones,  William  M.,  Rev.,  Ph.  D. 

Keppel,  Charles  H. 

King,  George  W.,  Rev. 

Knox,  George  P. 

Kroeger,  Ernest  R. 

Lhamon,  W.  J.,  A.  M. 

McKittrick,  William  J.,  Rev.,  D.  D. 

Moore,  W.  T.,  Mrs. 

Morris,  James  C. 

MucKLEY,  G.  W.,  Rev. 

Newell,  William  H.j  Rev. 


NOYES,  G.  C. 

O'Brien,  James  P.,  Rev. 

Patton,  Cornelius  H.,  Rev.,  D.  D. 

Phillips,  Alice  M.  M. 

Porter,  J.  J.,  Rev.,  D.  D. 

Roblee,  Mrs.  Joseph  H. 

ScARRiTT,  Charles  W.,  Rev. 

Semelroth,  William  J. 

Shaw,  Edwin  S.,  Rev. 

Sheldon,  Walter  L. 

Short,  William,  Rev.,  D.  D. 

Short,  Wallace  M.,  Rev. 

Smith,  Faith  Edith 

Smith,  Madison  R. 

Smith,  William,  Re\'. 

Spencer,  Claudius  B.,  Rev.,  D.  D. 

Stevenson,  James  S. 

Stewart,  Alphonzo  Chase,  LL.  D. 

Stimson,  Cyrus  Flint,  Rev. 

Stone,  R.  Foster,  Rev. 

Sullivan,  J.  W.,  Rev. 

Swift,  George  Hiram,  A.  M.,  Rev. 

Verdier,  a.  R. 

wieffenbach,  eugene,  a.  m.,  s.  t.  b 

Williams,  Walter,  Hon. 

Wyckoff,  Clyde  H.,  Rev. 

Young,  Mattie  T. 

institutions 
University  of  Missouri 


MONTANA 


Bell,  W.  S.,  Rev. 
Conway,  Geo.  B. 
Fuller,  Willard,  Rev. 


institutions 
First  Baptist  Bible  School,  Dillon 


5o8 


THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


NEBRASKA 


AxTELL,  Archie  G.,  Rev. 

Batten,  Samuel  Zane,  Rev.,  A.  M. 

Brinstad,    Charles    William,  Rev., 

A.M. 
Bullock,  Motier  A.,  R.ev.,  D.  D. 

BURHNAM,  S.  H 

Crawford,  J.  Forsyth,  Rev.,  A.  M. 
Creighton,  John,  Rev. 


Elliott,  Walter  Lindley,  Rev. 
Hammel,  John  D  ,  Rev. 
Millard,  Martin  J.,  Rev. 
Tuttle,  John  Ellery,  Rev.,  D.  D. 
Bailey,  Arthur  W.,  Rev. 
Ball,  Dwight  A.,  B.  D. 
Bellows,  Rev.  Russell  N. 


NEW   HAMPSHIRE 


Bingham,  G.  W.,  A.  M. 
BiSBEE,  Martin  Davis,  B.  U.,  A.  B. 
Blake,  Henry  A.,  Rev. 
Braisted,  William  E.,  Rev. 
Dana,  S.  H.,  Rev.,  D.  D. 
Emerson,  Charles  F. 
Gale,  Tyler  E. 
GuLiCK,  Edward  L.,  Rev. 
HoRNE,  Herman  H.,  Ph.  D. 
Huntington,  George  P.,  Rev. 
Merriam,  Charles  L.,  Rev.,  B.  A. 
Morrison,  Henry  C,  A.  B. 
QuiMBY,  S.  E.,  Rev. 


Reed,  George  Harlon,  Rev. 
Richardson,  Cynes,  Rev.,  D.  D 
Sanderson,  E.  Dwight,  B.  S. 
ScRiBNER,  J.  Woodbury,  Rev. 
Smith,  N.  W.  P.,  Rev. 
Swain,  Richard  L.,  Rev.,  Ph.  D. 
Thayer,  Lucius  H.,  Rev. 
Thorne,  John  Greene 
ToRREY,  C.  C,  Rev.,  A.  M. 
Waterman,  Lucius,  M.  A.,  D.  D. 
Yager,  Granville,  Rev. 
Tucker,  William  J.,  D.  D.,  LL.  D. 
Warren,  William  F.,  Rev. 


NEW   JERSEY 


Baldwin,  Josephine  L. 

Barnes,  Mrs.  J.  Woodbridge 

Beesley,  B.  W. 

BoococK,  William  H.,  Rev. 

Bradford,  Amory  H.,  Rev.,    D.  D. 

Brett,  Cornelius,  Rev.,  D.  D. 

Cole,  Arthur  S.,  Rev. 

Converse,  C.  Crozat,  LLD. 

Dennis,  Mrs.  Laban 

Donaldson,  George,  Rev.,  Ph.D. 

Dulles,  William,  Jr.,  A.M.,  LL.  B. 

Fennell,  W.  G.,  Rev. 

Fergusson,  E.  Morris,  Rev.,  A.  M. 

Garrett,  Edmund  F.,  Rev. 

Hawkins,  L.  E. 

Hearne,  Edward  Warren,  A.  M. 

Hepburn,  W.  M.,  M.  D. 

Hoppaugh,  William,  Rev. 

Howard,  John  Raymond,  A.  B.,  A.  M. 

*Hurlbut,  Jesse  L.,  Rev.,  D.  D. 

HuTTON,  Mancius Holmes,  Rev.,  D.D. 

Johnston  Henry  J.,  Rev. 

Jones,  Mrs.  Hiram  T. 

Kern,  Herman 

KuMP,  William  A.,  Rev. 

Lathrop,  Miss  A.  C. 

Leedom,  Ira  C,  M.  D. 

Lewis,  A.  H.,  D.  D..,  LL.  D. 

Matteson,  William  B.,  Rev.,  A.  M. 

McPherson,  Simon  J.,  Rev.,  D.  D. 

Melendy,  Royal  L. 

Meyer,  Hugo,  Rev. 


Miller,  Emily  Huntington,  Mrs. 

Morgan,  Minot  C.  Rev. 

Murray,  George  Wellwood 

Myers,  Elmer  H.,  Rev. 

Norris,  Ada  L. 

Patterson,  M.  T.,  Pd.  M. 

Paxton,  Elizabeth  D. 

Pettit,  Mrs.  Alonzo 

Peters,  Nanna  Heath 

Pratt,  John  R.,  Rev. 

Reed,  Isaac  N.,  Mrs. 

Robinson,  Ida  S. 

Roop,  Marcus  J. 

Sailer,  T.  H.  P.,  Ph.  D. 

Schenck,  F.  S. 

Seeley,  Levi,  Ph.  D. 

Stafford,  Daniel  Newton,  Ph.  D., 

D.  D. 
Sweeney,  Algernon  T. 
Thomas,  Marion 
Tucker,  Hoyt  Henderson 
VanDyke,  Henry,  D.  D.,  LL.D. 
Weeks,  John  W. 
Wharton,  Charles  A. 
White,  Grace  D. 
Wilson,  Ferdinand  S.,  Rev.,  A.  M. 
Wishart,  Alfred  W.,  Rev. 

institutions 
New  Church  Educational  Associa- 
tion 


THE  MEMBERS  OF  THE  ASSOCIATION 


509 


NEVADA 
Friend,  W.  A. 


NEW   YORK 


Abbott,  Ernest  H. 

Abbott,  Lyman,  Rev.,  D.  D.,  LL.  D. 

Adams,  John  Quincy,  Rev. 

Alexander,  J.  Vincent 

Alling,  Joseph  T. 

Anderson,  Thomas  D.,  Rev.,  D.  D. 

Anderson,  William  F.,  Rev.,  A.  M., 

D.  D. 
Armstrong  E.  P.  Rev. 
Armstrong,  Lynn  P.  Rev. 
Atterbury,  Anson  P.,   Rev.,  D.  D. 
Atwood,  Isaac  M.,  Rev.,  D.  D. 
Ayers,  Daniel  Hollister 
Ayers,  Sabra  Grant 
Bagnallo,  Powhawton,  Rev. 
Baker,  Smith,  M.  D. 
Baldwin,  Edward  Colfax 
Ball,  Archey  Decatur,  Rev. 
Ball,  Elizabeth  M. 
Ball,  John  Chester,  Rev. 
Ball,  John  Oscar 
Barker,  Henry,  Rev. 
BartOj  Charles  E.,  Rev. 
Batten,  L.  W.,  Rev.,  Ph.  D. 
Benjamin,  Chase 
Berry,  George  R.,  Ph.  D. 
Betteridge,  Walter  R. 
Betts,  F.  W.,  Rev. 
Bewer,  Julius  A.,  Ph.  D. 
BiRNiE,  Douglas  Putnam,  Rev. 
Bishop,  Mrs.  L.  J.  P. 
Bliss,  Alfred  V.,  Rev. 
BoviLLE,  R.  G.,  Rev.,  A.  M. 
Briggs,  George  A.,  Rev. 
Brooks,  John  L.,  A.  M. 
Brown,  FranciS;  Ph.  D.,  D.  D. 
Brown,  Marianna  C,  Ph.  D. 
Brown,  William  Adams,  Ph.  D.,  D.  D. 
Brush,  Alfred  H.,  Rev.,  D.  D. 
Buck,  Gertrude  Ph.  D. 
Buckelew,  Sarah  F. 
Burnham,  Edmund,  Rev.,  A.  B.,  B.  D., 

A.  M. 
Burnham,  Sylvester,  D.  D. 
Burns,  Allen  Tibbals 
Burrell,  Joseph  Dunn,  Rev. 
Butler,   Nicholas  Murray,   Ph.D 

LL.  D. 
Buttrick,  Wallace,  Rev.  D.  D. 
Cady,  J.  Cleveland 
Campbell,  John,  Rev. 
Canfield,  James  H.,  LL.  D 
Carl,  William  C. 
Case,  Carl  D.,  Rev.,  Ph.  D. 
Chapman,  William  H.,  Rev. 


Chase,  Wm.  Sheefe,  Rev. 

Collins,  Hannah 

Conant,  Osmyn  p. 

Conant,  Thomas.  LL.  D. 

CoNKLiN,  John  W.,  Rev. 

Cook,  John  W. 

Cooper,  J.  W.,  Rev.,  D.  D. 

Cox,  Sydney  Herbert,  Rev. 

Cutten,  George  B.,  Rev. 

Dame,  Nelson  Page,  Rev. 

Davey,  J.  J. 

Davis,  Boothe  C,  Rev.,Ph.  D.,D.D. 

Davies,  M.  J.,  A.  B. 

Dickson,  Henry  D. 

Dietrich,  C.  W. 

Dodge,  D.  Stuart 

Dodge,  Grace  H. 

Dodge,  Richard  Despard 

Duncan,  W.  A.  Rev.,  Ph.  D. 

Dutton,  Samuel  T. 

Edwards,  John  H.,  Rev.,  D.  D. 

Elliott,  Mr. 

Elliott,  A.  J. 

Fagnani,  Charles  P.,  Rev.,  D.  D 

Fairchild,  Edwin  M.,  Rev. 

Farnsworth,  Charles  H. 

Ferris,  Frank  A. 

Fitts,  Alice  E. 

Forbes,  George  M.,  A.  M. 

Forbes,  John  F.,  A.  M.,  Ph.  D. 

Forbush,  William  B.,  Rev.,  Ph.  D. 

Fox,  Norman 

Frame,  James  E. 

Francis,  Lewis,  Rev.,  D.  D. 

French,  H.  Delmar,  A.  M.,  Litt.  D. 

Fritts,  Harry  Burnett,  Rev. 

Gannett,  William    Channing,  Rev. 

Gelert,  Johannes  S. 

German,  Frank  F.,  Rev. 

Gifford,  O.  p..  Rev.,  D.  D. 

Goodman,  Fred  S. 

GouLDY,  Jenny  A. 

Gow,  George  C,  Mus.  D. 

Grant,  W.  Henry 

Griffis,  William  Elliot,  Rev.,  D.  D., 

L.  H.  D. 
GuLicK,  Luther  H.,  M.  D. 
Gurley,  Mrs.  Sears  E. 
t*HALL,  Charles  Cuthbert,  D.  D. 
Hall,  Colby  Dixon,  Rev. 
Hall,  Thomas  C,  Rev.,  D.  D. 
Hall,  William  W. 
Hammond,  Halsey 
Hanson,  Arthur  T.,  Rev. 
*Harrower,  Pascal,  Rev.,  A.M. 


5IO 


THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


Hassold,  F.  a.,  Rev. 

Haughton,  B.  F. 

Haven,  William  ingraham,  Rev.,D.D 

Henshaw,  Gordon  E.,  Rev. 

Hervey,  Walter  L.,  Ph.  D. 

HiCKMAN.iWiLLiAM  H.,  Rev.,  A.M.,  D.D. 

Hicks,  William     Cleveland,    Rev., 

A.  M. 
Hill,  William  Bancroft,  Rev. 
Hillis,  Newell  D wight.  Rev.,  D.  D. 
Hills,  Mr.  William 
*tHoDGE,  Richard  M.,  Rev.,  D.  D. 
Houghton,  Mrs.  Louise  Seymour 
HoYT,  Arthur  S.,  Rev.,  D.  D. 
Hudson,  Frances  L. 
Hull,  William  C,  Rev. 
Humpstone,  John,  Rev.,  D.  D. 
Huyler,  John  S. 
Jackson,  Charles  Edward,  Rev. 
Jacoby,  Henry  S.,  C.  E. 
Jenkins,  E.  O.,  Rev. 
Johnston,  R.  P.,  Rev.,  D.  D. 
JoNTZ,  Ida  V. 
JuDD,  Orrin  R. 
Kaighn,  Raymond  Runlott 
Keevil,  Charles  J.,  Rev.,  D.  D. 
Keith,  Herbert  C. 
Kent,  Robert  J.,  D.  D. 
Kendall,  Georgiana 
Kundest,  Olive  Mae 
Laidlaw,  Walter,  Rev.,  Ph.  D. 
Lansdale,  Herbert  P. 
Lesher,  a.  L.,  B.  a. 
Lewis,  Charles  L. 
Littlefield,  Milton  S.,  Rev. 
Long,  John  D.,  Rev.,  A.  M. 
Longacre,  Lindsay  B.,  Rev. 
Lord,  Miss  Isabel  Ely 
Lord,  Rivington  D.,  Rev.,  D.  D. 
Lynch,  Frederick,  Rev. 
McAfee,  Cleland  B.,  Rev.,  D.  D. 
MacArthur,  Robert  S.,  Rev.,  D.  D., 

LL.  D. 
MacClelland,  George  L.,  Rev. 
McCarroll,  William 
MacDonald,  Robert,  Rev. 
*McFarland,  John  T. 
McGaffin,  Alexander,  Rev. 
MacVannel,  John  Angus 
Main,  Arthur  E.,  Rev.  D.  D. 
Marshall,  Benjamin  T.,  Rev. 
Melish,  John  Howard,  Rev.,  S.  T.  B. 
Merriam,  George  E.,  Rev. 
Merrill,  George  Edwards,  D.  D., 

LL.  D. 
Merrill,  Harry  W. 
Merrill,  Robert  Dodge,  Rev. 
Miller,  Edward  W.,  Rev.,  D.  D. 
Miller,  Lillian  B. 
Mitchell,  Mrs.  S.  S. 
MouNTFORD,  Lydia  M.  Von  Finkel- 


Murray,  William  D. 

*Nason,  George  F.,  Rev.,  A.  M. 

Newton,  Richard  Heber,  Rev.,  D.D. 

fNiCHOLAs,  John 

North,  Frank  Mason,  Rev.,  A.  M. 

D.D. 
Ogden,  Robert  C. 
osborn,  f.  w. 
Parker,  Horace  J.,  D.  D. 
Patt,  Herman  George.  A.  B. 
Pease,  John  D. 
Pershing,  Orlando  B.,  Rev. 
Peters,  John  P.,  Rev.,  Ph.  D.,  D.  D. 
Pike,  Henry  H. 
Platt,  Caroline  M. 
PowLisoN,  Charles  F. 
Raymond,  Andrew  V.V.,  D.  D.,  LL.  D. 
Reed,  Lewis  T.,  Rev. 
Reeder,  R  R.,  Ph.  D. 
Rhees,  Rush,  D.  D.,  LL.  D. 
Richards,  Charles  H.,  D.  D. 
Richards,  F.  B. 

Riggs,  James  Stevenson,  D.  D. 
Robert,  Henry  M.,  Gen. 
RowE,  Stewart  H.,  Ph.  D. 
Russell,  James  E.,  Ph.  D. 
Russell,  J.  Elmer,  Rev. 
Ryder,  C.  J.,  Rev.,  D.  D. 
Sawin,  Theophilus  p..  Rev.,  D.  D. 
Schmidt,  Nathanial,  Ph.  D. 
Scott,  Robert  Mr. 
ScuDDER,  Myron  Tracy,  A.  M. 
fSEE,  Edwin  F. 
Seligsberg,  Alice  Lillie 
Sewall,  a.  C,  Rev.,  D.  D. 
Sewall,  G.  p.,  Rev. 
Sexton,  Wilson  D.,  Rev. 
Shaw,  Charles  Gray,  Ph.  D. 
Sherman,  Henry  A. 
Sherry,  Norman  B. 
Silverman,  Joseph,  D.  D. 
Slater,  John  R.,  Ph.  D. 
Spencer,  Nelson  E. 
Simmons,  Harvey  L. 
Smith,  Fred  B. 
Smith,  Roelif  B. 
Smith,  Thomas  F.,  M.  D. 
Smith,  William  W.,  Rev. 
Stevens,  William  Arnold,  D.  D. 
Stewart,  George  B.,  D.  D.,  LL.  D. 
Stewart,  John  A. 
Stewart,  J.  W.  A.,  Rev.,  D.  D. 
Stillman,  T.  E. 

Stimson,  Henry  A.,  Rev.,  D.  D. 
St.  John,  Edward 
Stoddard,  Frank  P. 
tSTOKES,  Olivia  E.  P. 
Stoppard,  Alice  Hart 
Strayer,  Paul  Moore,  Rev. 
Street,  William  D.,  Rev. 
Strong,  Josiah,  Rev.,  D.  D. 
Taylor,  Livingston  L.,  Rev. 


THE  MEMBERS  OF  THE  ASSOCIATION 


5" 


Taylor,  Marcus  B.,  Rev  ,  D.  D. 
Taylor,  William  Rivers,  Rev.,  D.  D. 
Thorne,  Samuel,  Jr. 
Thorne,  Samuel,  Jr.,  Mrs. 
Updegraff,  Harlan,  A.  M. 
VanSlyke,  J.  G.,  Rev.,  D.  D. 
Vincent,  Marvin  R.,  D.  D. 
Weed,  Rebecca  W.,  Mrs. 
Weeks,  Caroline  B. 
Wentworth,  Russell  A. 
White,  Sherman  M.,  Rev. 
Whiton,  James  M.,  Rev.,  Ph.  D. 
Whitteker,  W.  F.,  Rev. 
Wilcox,  Daniel  L. 
Wight,  Andrew  M.,  Rev. 
WiKEL,  Henry  H. 
Wilkinson,  Mrs.  Mary  S. 
Williams,  Henry  S.,  Ph.  D. 
Williams,  Mary  Clark 
Williams,  Richard  R.,  Rev. 
Woolworth,  William  S.,  Rev. 
Wyckoff,  Charles  S..  Rev. 


Wyman,  Arthur  J.,  Rev. 
Wynne,  John  J.,  S.  J. 
Yarnell,  D.  E. 
Zehring,  Blanche,  Ph.  D. 
Zimmerman,  Jeremiah,  Rev.,  D.  D., 
LL.  D. 


institutions 

Colgate  University  Library 

Columbia  University 

Dodge,  Morgan  Library 

Ethical  Culture  School 

General  Theological  Seminary  Li- 
brary 

Jewish  Theological  Seminary  of 
America 

Library  of  the  General  Theologi- 
cal Seminary 

St.  Stephens  College 

Syracuse  Public  Library 

University  of  Rochester 


NORTH  CAROLINA 


Bailey,  Josiah  W. 
Cullom,  W.  R.,  M.  a.,  Ph.  D. 

CuNiNGGiM,  W.  L.,  Rev. 
Durham,  Plato  T. 
Emery,  C.  M...  Rev.,  A.  M. 
Gallandet,  Hubert  W.,  Rev.,  B   A., 

B.  D. 
Goodrich,  Frances  L.,  Miss 


HoBBS,  Mary  M. 
Johnson,  T.  Neil,  A.  M. 
McKelway,  a.  J. 
Miller,  Emma  L. 
Newlin,  Thomas 
Peques,  a.  W.,  Ph.  D.,  D.  D. 
Potts,  Joseph 


Allen,  Chas.  J. 
Clarke,  Sidney 
Dickey,  Alfred  E. 


NORTH  DAKOTA 


Shaw,  Edwin  S.,  Rev. 
Squires,  Verjston  P.,  A.  M. 
Stickney,  Edwin  H.,  Rev. 


OHIO 


Allen,  Ernest  Bourner,  Rev. 

Armstrong,  E.  W. 

Barnes,  C.  W. 

Barton,  Frank  M. 

Bawden,  Henry  H.,  Rev. 

Beachler,  William  H.,  Rev. 

Benton,  Horace 

Boone,  Richard  G.,  A.  M.,  Ph.D. 

Bosworth,  Edward  I.,  D.  D. 

Bowers,  Roy  E.,  Rev.,  A.  M. 

Bradshaw,  J.  W.,  Rev.,  D.  D. 

BuDD,  George  S. 

BuRNWORTH,  E.  Davis,  Rev. 

Carman,  Augustine  S.,  Rev. 

Cheney,  James  Loring,  Rev.,  Ph.  D. 

Church,  A.  B. 

Clark,  Davis  W.,  D.  D. 

Clifford,  Elizabeth 


COWDERY,  KiRKE  L. 

Gulp,  W.  T.  Sherman,  Ph.D.,  D.  D. 

Currier,  Albert  H.,  D.  D. 

Dabney,  Chas.  William,  Rev.,  Ph.  D. 

LL.  D. 
Davies,  Arthur  E.,  Ph.  D. 
Day,  William  Edmund 
Dibell,  Edwin,  Rev. 
Dundon,  Clarence  E. 
Evans,  Mary,  L^tt.D. 
Foote,  Robt.  B  ,  B  a. 
Eraser,  John  G.,  Rev.,  A.  M.,  D.  D. 
Fullerton,  Kemper,  A.  M. 
Garber,  L.  Leedy,  a.  M. 
Gilbert,  Levi,  Rev.,  D.  D. 
GoLDNER,  J.  H.,  Rev.,  A.  M. 
Greenlund,  W.  a. 
Gries,  Moses  J. 


512 


THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


Grossman,  Louis,  D.  D. 

Hanscom,  Alice  E. 

Hanley,  Elijah  A  ,  Rev.,  A  M. 

Harsh  A,  J.  W.,  Rev. 

Hatfield,  Albert  D. 

Haydn,  Howell  Merriman 

Helmer,  John  Sherman 

Henry,  Carl  F.,  Rev.,  A.  M. 

Hiatt,  Casper  W.,  Rev.,  D.  D. 

HiLLis,  W.  A.,  Rev. 

Hirchy,  Noah  C. 

Hitchcock,  Charles  E.,  Rev. 

Hitchcock,  Joseph  Edson 

Houghton,  Albert  C. 

Hunt,  Emory  W.,  D.  D.,  LL.  D. 

HuTCHESON,  Mary  E. 

Johnson,  Theodore  A.,  Rev. 

Jones,  Thomas  Henry 

Keith,  Lucy  E. 

*KiNG,  Henry  Churchill,  D.  D 

Lawrence,  Martha  E. 

MacCracken,  Anna  M.,  Ph.  D. 

Matthews,     Paul,      Rev.,      A.  M., 

LiTT.  D. 

Mattison,  a.  M. 
Metcalf,  Irving  W.,  Rev. 
Mills,  Charles  S.,  Rev.,  D.  D. 
Mitchell,        Charles       B.,      Rev., 

Ph.  D.,  D.  D. 
Montgomery,  Bertha  Emeline,  A.  M. 
Moore,  Henrietta  G.,  Rev. 
Morris,  George  K.,  D.  D.  LL.  D. 
Nichols,  John  R.,  Rev.,  D.  D. 
Owens,  John  R. 
Peckham,  George  A.,  A.  M. 
Perry,  Alfred  T.,  D.D. 
Pettee,  George  D. 
Phillipson,  David,  Rabbi,  D.  D. 
Phillips,  T.  F.,  Rev.,  Ph.  D.,  D.  D. 
Pike,  Grant  E.,  Rev. 
Pond,  Bert  C. 

Pond,  Chauncey  N.,  Rev.,  D.D. 
Pratt,  Byron  C. 


Pratt,  Dwight  M..  Rev.,  D.  D. 
Raymond,  C.  Rexford,  Rev.,  D.  D. 
Reeder,  Glezen  Asbury,  a.  M.,  D.  D. 
Richmond,  Louis  O. 
RiHBANY,  Abraham  M.  Rev. 
Roberts,  Edward  D. 
Robertson,  William  N.,  Rev.,  A.  M. 
RowLisoN,  Carlos  C,  Rev. 
Scott,  George,  Ph.  D.,  LL.  D. 
Shepardson,  Daniel,  Rev.,  Ph.  D. 
Shuey,  Edwin  L.,  A.  M. 
Shurtleff,  G.  H. 
Simons,  Minot  O.,  Rev. 
Smith,  F.  N.,  Mrs. 
Smythe,  George  F.,  Rev.,  D.  D. 
Snedeker,  Charles  H.,  Very  Rev. 
sondericker,  josephine  e. 
Stephan,  John  F.,  M.  D. 
Stevenson,  Richard  Taylor,  Ph.  D. 
Thompson,  William  Oxley,  D.  D., 

LL.  D. 
Thwing,  Charles  F.,  D.  D.,  LL.  D. 
Troup,  James  A. 
Wakefield,  E.  B.,  A.  M. 
Walls,  Alfred,  Rev. 
Welch,  Rev.  Herbert 
Whitmore,  Holmes,  Rev.,  A.M.,  B.  D. 
Wilbur,  Hollis  A. 
Winter,  Alonzo  F.,  Rev  ,  S.  T.  D. 
Wittendorf,  J.  H.,  Mrs. 
Woodard,  L.  a.,  Mrs. 
Wright,  Henry  Collier,  Ph.  D. 
YoDER,  Charles  F.,  Rev. 
Young,  Jesse  Bowman,  Rev.,  D.  D. 
Zimmerman,  Adam,  Rev.,  B.  A.,  M.  A. 

institutions 
Buchtel  College 
Marietta  College 
Oberlin  College  Library 
Ohio  Wesleyan  University 
Otterbein  University 
Public  Library  of  Cincinnati 


OKLAHOMA 

Denham,  J.  F. 

institutions 

Epworth  University 


OREGON 


Bates,  Henry  L.,  Rev. 
Edmunds,  James 
Farnham,  Mary  F. 
Gilpatrick,    Howard,    Rev. 

B.  D. 
Hill,  Edgar  P.,  Rev. 
Hutchinson,  Reno,  A.  B. 
McGrew,  Henry  Edwin 


A.    B., 


Oakley,  E.  Clarence,  Rev. 
Ross,  J.  Thorburn 
Smith,  Howard  N.,  Rev. 
Smith,  Wilfred  Fernando,  Rev 

institutions 
Pacific  University 


THE  MEMBERS  OF  THE  ASSOCIATION 


513 


PENNSYLVANIA 


Anders,  Howard  S.,  M.  D. 

Antrim,  Clarence  D. 

Archibald,  Adams  D.,  Rev. 

Armstrong,  Thomas  M.,  Rev. 

Arnold,  N.  T. 

Bard,  S.  M. 

Bartholomew,  Allen  R.,  Rev.,  D.  D. 

Bartlett,  George  Griffiths 

Bartlett,  J.  Henry 

Barton,  George  A.,  Ph.  D. 

Bartz,  Ulysses  S.,  Rev.,  A.  M.,  Ph.  D. 

Berkowitz,  Henry,  Rabbi 

Biddle,  Elizabeth  N. 

Bishop,  Frank  D. 

Blackall,  C.  R.,  Rev.,  D.  D. 

Blackall,  C.  R.,  Mrs. 

Blankenburg,  R.,  Mrs. 

Blatt,  James  N.,  Rev. 

Bomberger,  Henry  A.,  A.  M.,  D.  D 

Bond,  Elizabeth  Powell 

Bradshaw,  a.  H.,  Rev. 

Brown,  Herman  E. 

Brumbaugh,     Martin     G.,  Ph.  D., 

LL.  D. 
Buchheit,  John  F. 
BuTTERWiCK,  Robert  Reuben,  Rev. 
Cadbury,  Emma,  Jr.,  A.  B. 
Galley,  Walter,  Rev.,  D.  D. 
Camp,  George  R. 
Carter,  John 
Cass  AD  Y,  Ernest  R.  Mrs. 
Chalfant,    Harry   Malcolm,    Rev., 

A.M. 
Chapin,  W.  H. 
Clark,  D.  B.,  Rev. 
Coffman,  Wilmer  E. 
CoovER,  M.,  Rev. 
Cramer,  W.  Stewart,  Rev.,  A.  B. 
Dana,  Stephen  W.,  D.  D. 
Day,  Dwight  H. 
Delk,  Edwin  Heyl,  Rev.,  D.  D. 
DiCKERT,  Thomas  W.,  Rev. 
Dieffenbach,  Albert  Charles,  Rev., 

A.  B. 
DiMM,  Jonathan  R.,  Rev.,  D.  D. 
Dorchester,  Daniel,  Jr.,  Rev.,  Ph.D. 

D.  D. 
Douglas,  Walter  C. 
Drisko,  R.  C,  Rev. 
*DuBois,  Patterson 
Dundore,  Paul  J.,  Rev.,  Ph.  B. 
Dyckenam,  H.  M.,  Rev. 
fELKiNTON,  Joseph,  Rev. 
Elliott,  Alfred  C,  A.  M. 
♦Ellis,  William  T. 
Evans,  L.  Kryder,  Rev.,  D.  D, 
Evans,  Milton  G. 
EwiNG,  Homer  H. 
Flickinger,  Stephen  L.,  Rev. 
Fowler,  Bertha 


Garrett,  Alfred  Cope,  Ph.  D. 
Garvin,  M.  T. 
Gast,  F.  a.,  Rev.,  D.  D. 
Greves,  Rev.,  U.  S. 
Haines,  Amos  H. 
Hasham,  J.  Henry,  Rev. 
Haviland,  Walter  Winship,  A.  B. 
Hay,  Robert  L.,  Rev. 
Heckman,  Samuel  B.,  M.  A. 
fHEINZ  H.  J. 
Hoffman,  Jno.  W.,  Rev. 
Holmes,  Jesse  H.,  Ph.  D. 
Houston,  James  W. 
Howard,  Josiah 
Howard   Phillip  E. 
Huber,  Eli,  D.  D. 
Hulley,  Lincoln,  Prof 
Hutchinson,  Edward  S. 
Jackson,  Henry  E.,  Rev. 
Jenanyan,  H.  S.,  Rev. 
John,  Lewis  F.,  A.  M.,  D.  D. 
Johnson,  E.  E.  S.,  Rev. 
Jones,  Philip  L.,  Rev.,  D.  D. 
Jones,  Rufus  M.,  A.  M.,  Litt.  D. 
Keirn,  L.  M.,  Rev. 
Kennedy,  Mrs.  M.  G. 
Kerschuer.  U.  O.  H.,  Rev. 
Kloss,  Charles  L.,  Rev 
Kressley,  C.  D.,  Rev. 
Kribs,  Herbert  Guy,  Rev. 
Kriebel,  Oscar  S  ,  A.  M. 
Kunkle,-Edw.  C,  Rev.,  A.  B.,  D.  B 
Lanier,  M.  B.,  Rev. 

LlCHLITER;    McLlYAR  HAMILTON 

Llewellepc,  Alice  A 

Lyte,  Eliphalet  Oram,  M.  S.,  A.  M.. 

Ph.  D. 
MacAllister,  James,  LL.  D. 
McClenahan,  David  A. 
McCormick,  S.  B.,  D.  D„  LL.  D. 
McDevitt,  Philip  P.,  Rev. 
McLean,     Joseph     K. 
Messinger,  Silas  L.,  A.  M.,  S.  T.  D. 
Michael,  Oscar  S.,  Rev. 
Miller,  Rufus  W.,  Rev.,  D.  D. 
Mills,  J.  S.,  Rev. 
Morris,  Margaretta 
Myers,  Tobias  Timothy 
Neff,  Silas  E.,  Ph.  D. 
NoBLiT,  Joseph  C. 
Noss,  Christopher,  Rev. 
Omwake,  George  Leslie,  A.  M. 
Orner,  George  D. 
oviatt,  f.  c. 
Partridge,  Warren  G.,  Rev.,  M.  A. 

D.  D. 
Pepper,  George  Wharton 
Perkins,  Penrose 
Potter,  William  P. 
Ranck,  Henry  H.,  Rev. 


514 


THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


Reed,    George    Edward,  S.  T.  D., 

LL.  D. 
Reed,  Luther  D.,  Rev.,  Ph.  D. 
Rehrig,  W.  M.,  Rev.,  Ph.  D. 
Richards,  George  W. 
Richards,  Louis  J.,  Rev. 

RiTTENHOUSE,   W.   C. 

Robertson,  J.  M.,  Rev. 

RoMiG,  Edwin  Howard 

Roop,  Hervin  U.,  Rev.,  A.  M.,  Ph.  D. 

Roth,  Charles  E. 

Rynearson,  Edward,  A.  M. 

Sanford,  Caroline  H. 

Schaeffer,  Nathan  C,  Ph.  D.,  D.  D., 

LL.  D. 
Senior,  Daniel  L.,  D.  D. 
Shaw,  Charles  F.,  Rev.,  D.  D. 
Shaw,  Daniel  W.,  Rev.,  D.  D. 
Singmaster,  J.  A.,  D.  D. 
Slade,  William  F.,  Rev. 
Smith,  Howard  Wayne,  Rev. 
Smith,  Norman  J. 
Soars,  C.  A.,  Rev. 
Southworth,    Franklin   C,   A.   M. 

S.  T.  D. 
Spicer,  R.  Barclay 
Stevenson.  T.  P. 
Stewart,  Everett 


Sutherland,  Allan 
Swain,  Joseph,  LL.  D. 
Tatlock,  William,  Rev.,  A.  M. 
Thomas,  M.  Carey,  Ph.  D.,  LL.  D. 
Thomers,  Henry  H.,  Rev. 
Tomkins,  Floyd  W.,  Rev.,  D.  D. 
Trumbull,  Charles  Gallandet 
Tyler,  Corydon  C,  Rev. 
Walsh,  Mary  L.,  Miss 
Walton,  George  A. 
Walton,  Joseph  S.,  Ph.  D. 
Wanamaker,  John,  Hon. 
Watson,  Charles  M.,  Rev. 
Wickershane,  William  F. 
WiEST,  Edward  Franklin,  Rev. 
Wilbur,  J.  Milnor,  Rev. 
Williams,  Albert  B.,  B.  S.,  LL.  D. 
Williams,  George  G. 
Winston,  John  C. 
YouNT,  A.  L.,  Rev.,  D.  D. 

institutions 
Bryn  Mawr  College 
Dickinson  College 
First  Presbyterian  Church 
Library  Western  University  of  Pa. 
Meadville  Theological  School 
Swarthmore  College 


PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 
Chenoweth,  a.  E.,  Rev. 


RHODE   ISLAND 


Anthony,  Mary  B.,  Miss 
Bradner,  Lester,  Jr.,  Rev.,  Ph.  D. 
Butterfield,  Kenyon  L. 
Corliss,  George  H.,  Mrs. 
Dennen,  Ernest  J.,  Rev. 
Diman,  John  B.,  Rev.,  A.  M. 
DowiNG,  G.  Fay 
*  Faunce,  William  H.  P.,  D.D. 
Fowler,  Henry  Thatcher,   Ph.  D. 
Fuller,  Arthur  A.,  M.  E. 
Fuller,  Frederic  H. 
Hazard,  John  W.,  Mrs. 
Hood,  William  Lenoir,  Rev. 
HoRTON,  Lyman  G.,  Rev. 
Ketchum,  Arabella 


McClelland,  T.  Calvin,  Rev.,  Ph.  D. 
*McVicKAR,  William  N.,  Rev.,D.D. 

S.  T.  D. 
*Mead,  George  W.,  Rev. 
Melden,  Charles  M.,  Rev.,  Ph.  D., 
'  D.  D. 

Root,  Edward  Tallmadge,  Rev. 
Root,  Theophilus  H.,  A.  M. 
Rousmaniere,  E.  S.,  Rev. 
Sanderson,  Edward  F.,  Rev. 
Selleck,  Willard  C,  Rev. 
Thompson,  W.  Ashton,  Rev. 
Waite,  William  H. 
Wilson,  George  G.,  Ph.  D 
Wilson,  Willard  B. 


TENNESSEE 


Atkins  James,  Rev.,  A.  M.,  D.  D. 
Beale,  George  Livingstone,  Rev. 
Carre  Henry  Beach 
Carter,  Thomas 
Clarke,  JameE.,  Rev. 
tCuNiNGGiM,  Jesse  Lee,  Rev. 


Dabney,  Charles  W.,  Ph.  D.,  LL.  D. 
Davison,  J.  O.,  Rev. 
Ford,  J.  S.,  Mr. 
Foster,  R.  V.,  D.  D. 
Grimstead,  Wren  J.,  Rev.,  A.  B. 
Hammond,  J.  D. 


THE  MEMBERS  OF  THE  ASSOCIATION 


51S 


Henry,  James  R.,  Rev. 

Hill,  Felix  R.  Rev.  D.  D. 

Hinds,  J.  I.  D,  Ph.  D. 

KiRKLAND,  James  H.,  Ph.  D.,  LL.  D. 

Landrith,  Ira,  Rev. 

Logan,  William  C,  Rev.,  A.  M. 

Mannheimer,  Leo  Rabbi 

McCuLLOCH,   James  Edward,   Rev., 

A.  B.,  B.  D. 
McGiLL,  Stephenson  W. 
McKamy,  John  A.,  Rev. 
Mitchell,  David  E. 
Olson,  Charles  Wlllard 
Peabody,  Helen  L. 
Seymour,  A.  H.,  Rev. 
Parker,  Fitzgerald  Sale,  Rev. 
Pllcher,  M.  B. 


Provine,  W.  a..  Rev. 

Root,  James  Winston 

Rust,  James  Urmston 

Shackford,  John  Walter,  Rev.,  A.  B. 

B.  D. 
Taylor,  William  B.,  Rev. 
Throop,  Pharis  T. 
Tillett,  Wilbur  F.,  A.  M.,  D.  D. 
Trawick,  a.  M.  Jr.,  Rev.,  A.  B.,  B.  D. 
Webb,  John  M.,  LL.  D. 
Webb,  William  R. 
White,  James  Daniel,  Rev. 
Wiggins,  B.  L. 

institutions 
Belmont  College  for  Young  Ladies 
Ward  Seminary  for  Young  Ladies 


SOUTH  CAROLINA 


Carlisle,  James  H. 
Carlisle,  Mark  L.,  Rev.,  D.  D. 
Duncan,  Watson  B.,  A.  M. 
Flinn,  William  J.,  Rev.,  A.  B.,  B.  D., 
D.  D. 


Snyder,  Henry  Nelson,  Litt.  D. 
Thomas,  A.  J.  S 


SOUTH  DAKOTA 


Baker,  Abram  Laurel,  Rev.,  A.  B., 

S.  T.  B. 
Hare,  William  Hobart,  Rev.,  S.  T.  D. 
Leach,  Frank  P.,  Rev. 
Mattson,  Bernard  G.,  Rev. 
Nicholson,  Thomas,  D.  D. 


Norton,  Susan  W. 
Orr,  E.  a..   Rev. 
Peabody,  Helen  L. 
Seymour,  A.  H.,  Rev. 
Thrall,  W.  Herbert,  Rev. 
Trefethren,  Eugene  B.,  Rev. 


TEXAS 


Downs,  Francis  Arthur,  Rev.,  A.  B. 

Griggs,  A.  R.,  Rev.,  D.  D. 

Hall,  Colby  Dixon,  Rev. 

Hodges,  B.  A.,  Rev. 

Joiner,  R.  E.,  Rev. 

LowBER,  James  William  Chancellor 

Manton,  Charles,  Rev. 

Moore,  John  M.,  Rev.,  Ph.D. 

Oakes,  R.  Welton,  Rev. 

Peck,  Jennie  L. 

Peebles,  Francis  H. 


Robinson,  Joseph  M.,  Ph.  D.,  Rev. 
Smith,  J.  Frank,  Rev. 
White,  Alfred  T.,  A.  B. 
Woods,  James  H. 
Yates,  Callin  W.,  Rev. 

institutions 
Baylor  University 
Prairie  View  State  Normal  and  In- 
dustrial College 
Southwestern  University 


UTAH 

Clemenson,  Newton  E.,  Rev 


VERMONT 


Barnes,  Stephen  G.,  Rev. 
Cabot,  Mary  F. 
Chapman,  Edward  M.,  Rev. 
Davies,  R.  R.,  Rev.,  A.  M. 
Dee,  Ellen  Post 


Davison,  Rev.,  W.  A. 
Dole,  Walter,  M.  A. 
Ferrin,  Allan  C,  Rev. 
Greene,  S.  B.,  Mrs. 
HoLDEN   Arthur  J 


Si6 


THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


KiLBURN,  J.  K.,  Rev. 
Ladd,  George  Edwin,  Rev. 
LoDER,  A.  L.,  Rev. 
Lyman,  Louise  H. 
Miles,  Harry  R.,  Rev. 
Mills,  George  Sherman,  Rev. 
Morris,  Frank  R.,  Rev. 
Morse,  Warren,  Rev. 
Osgood,  Charles  Wesley 
Pennoyer,  C  H.,  Rev. 
Phillips,  George  W.,  Rev.,  D.  D. 


Roundy,  Rodney  W.,  Rev. 
Slayton,  Henry  A. 
Smith,  Clifford  H.,  Rev. 
Stocking,  Jay  Thomas,  Rev.,  A.  B., 

B.  D. 
Strayer,  Luther  Milton,  Rev., A.  M. 
Wright,  James  Edward,  Rev.,  D.  D. 

institutions 
Norwich  University 


VIRGINIA 


Belsan,  Edward 

Grammer,  Carl  E.,  Rev.,  S.  T.  D. 

Haley,  Jesse  J.,  Rev.,  A.  M. 

Hicks,  Joseph  Emerson,  Rev.,  A.  M. 

Jones,  Thomas  Jesse,  A.  M. 

Mitchell,  Samuel  C,  Ph.  D. 


Rockwell,  Adeline  B.,  B.  L. 
Totusek,  Vincent,  Rev. 

institutions 
The   Protestant    Episcopal   Theo- 
logical Seminary  in  Virginia 


WASHINGTON 


Anderson,  L.  F 

Bur  WELL;  A.  S. 

burwell,  e.  b. 

Cooper,  Frank  B. 

Graif,  Philip,  Rev.,  D.  D.,  A.  M. 

Greene,  Samuel,  Rev. 

Hays,  W.  G.  M.,  Rev.,  D.  D. 

Hendrick,  Archer  Wilmot 

HORNE,  I    W. 

Kilbourne,  E.  C,  Dr. 
Leech,  William  H.,  Rev.,  A.  M. 
Lewis,  William  H  ,  LL.  D. 
Littlefield,  George  B. 
Lyon,  Elwood  P.,  Rev  ,  Ph.  D. 


McLeod,  Donald 

Merritt,  W.  C,  Rev. 

Nichols,  J.  F.,  Rev.,  A.  B.,  B.  D. 

Penrose,  Stephen  B.  L. 

Rice,  Austin,  Rev. 

Roots,  Willard  H.,  Rev.,  A.  B.,  B.  D. 

Shorrock,  Ebenezer,  B.  A. 

Smith,  Edward  Lincoln,  Rev. 

Smith,  Everett 

Wood,  W.  D.,  Mr. 

institutions 

Whitman  College 

Library  University  of  Washington 


WEST  VIRGINIA 


Davis,    William    W.,  Rev.,    A.  M., 

Ph   D. 
Deahl,  J.  N. 
PuRiNTON,  Daniel  B.,  Ph.  D.,  D.  D., 

LL.  D 


institutions 
West  Virginia  University 


WISCONSIN 


Beale,  Charles  H.,  Rev.,  D.  D. 

Blaisdell,  James  A.,  Rev. 

Chapin,  Robert  C.   A.  M. 

Cheney,  B.  Royal 

Coffin,  W.  K. 

Cory,  I.  L.,  Rev.,  B.  D. 

Deane,  John  Pitt,  Rev. 

Eaton,  Edward  D.,  D.  D.,  LL   D. 

Edmunds,  E.  B.,  Rev. 

Ferris,  H.  J.,  Rev. 

Flett,  George  C,  Rev.,  LL.  B. 


Greenwood,  John  William,  Rev. 
Frost,  Edward  W. 
Halsey,  Rufus  Henry 
Hannum,  Henry  Oliver,  Rev. 
Henderson,  Herman  C,  A.  M. 
Hughes,  Richard  Cecil,  D.  D. 
Kunkle,  Edward  C,  Rev. 
Magee,  Harriet  Cecil 
McKenny,  Charles 
Myers,  J.  O. 
Naylor,  Wilson,  S.,  A.  M.-  D.  D. 


THE  MEMBERS  OF  THE  ASSOCIATION 


S17 


Nicholas,  R.  W.,  Rev. 

Parsons,  J.,  Rev. 

Plantz,  Samuel,  Ph.  D.,  D.  D. 

Sage,  A.  H. 

Salisbury,  Albert,  Ph.  D. 

Sawyer,  Edgar  P.,  Mrs. 

Sawyer,  Hermon  L. 

Shanks,  L.  E    Rev. 

Short,  Wm.  Harvey,  Rev.,  A.  M. 

Sprowls,  Thomas  W.,  Rev..  S.  T.  D. 

Stevens,  Frank  V.,  Rev. 


Swart,  Rose  C. 

Titsworth,  Judson,  Rev.,  D.  D. 
Tyrells,  S.  J.  T..  Mrs.,  M.  D. 
Vaughan,  Richard  M.,  Rev. 
Vaughn,  Howard  R.,  Rev. 
Wilson,  Alfred  G.,  Rev. 
Woods,  Erville  B. 

institutions 
Beloit  College 
University  of  Wisconsin 


WYOMING 
Williams,  Theodore  Charles,  Rev. 

NEWFOUNDLAND 
Darby,  Thomas  B.,  Rev.,  B.  A. 

NOVA  SCOTIA 


Des  Barres,  F.  W.  W.,  Rev.,  B.  A. 
DeWolfe,  Henry  T.,  Rev. 
Falconer,  Robert  A.,  Litt.  D.,  LL.D. 
Gillies,  D.  M.,  Rev. 
Green,  Adam  S.,  Rev.,  A.  M, 


Jefferson,  Selby,  Rev. 
MacKay,  a  H.,  LL.  D.,  F.  R.  S.  C. 
Marshall,  Eraser  G. 
Murray,  Walter  C;  A.  M. 
Smith,  William  H.,  Rev.,  Ph.  D. 


ONTARIO 


Bates,  Stuart  S.,  Rev.,  D.  D. 
Bond,  G.  J.,  Rev.,  B.  A. 
Cameron,  C.  J.,  Rev. 
Carnahan,  E.  H. 
Cross,  George,  A  M.,  Ph.  D. 
Duncan,  J.  M.  Rev. 
Eakin,  Thomas,  Rev. 
Eby,  C.  S.,  Rev.,  D.  D. 
Eraser,  R.  Douglass,  Rev. 
Hardy,  E.  A.,  B.  A. 
Harrison,  Fosdick  B.,  Rev. 
Haw,  J.  A.,  Rev. 
Hughes,  J.  L. 
Laidlaw,  Robert  S.,  Rev. 


Lyle,  Samuel 

Mackay,  Edward  W.,  Rev. 

McDougall,  W.  C. 

McFadyen,  John  Edgar,  A.  M. 

Merrill,  Bert  Ward,  Rev. 

Moore,  S.  J. 

NiE,  Randolph  F.,  Rev. 

Quehl,  Jacob 

Sinclair,  N.  R.  D.,  Rev.,  A.  M. 

SoMER^^LLE,  J.  Forrest 

Sunderland,  J.  T..  Rev.,  A.  M. 

Thompson,  John  C. 

Tracy,  Frederick,  Ph.  D. 

Unsworth,  Joseph  K.,  Rev 


■    ASIA 

Allen,  Annie  Teresa,  A.  B. 


BRITISH   AMERICA 


Cox,  Frederick  W. 
Flemming,  David,  Rev.,  B.  A. 
Huestis,    Charles   Herbert,    Rev., 
M.  A. 


ALBERTA 

I    MacRae,  a.  O.,  Rev.,  Ph.  D. 


MANITOBA 


Bowman,  J.  A.,  Rev.,  M.  A. 
Cann,  W.  Frederick,  Rev. 
Dingle,  Geo.  S. 
Gordon,  Chas.  W.,  Rev.,  B.  A. 


Hart,  Walter  T. 
McDiARMID,  A.  P. 
MiLLiKEN,  Robert,  Rev.,  B.  D. 
Whidden,  Howard  P..  Rev. 


5i8 


THE  AIMS  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


NEW  BRUNSWICK 


Boyd,  Hunter,  Rev. 

Inch,  James  R.,  B.  A.,  LL.  D. 

Ireland,  George  D.,  Rev. 


Creelman,  Harlan,  Ph.  D. 

Day  Frank  J.,  Rev. 

Hill,  Edward  Munson,  D.  D. 


Lucas,  Aquila,  Rev. 
MacOdrum,  Donald,  Rev.,  B.  A. 
Ross,  William  A.,  Rev.,  A.  M. 


QUEBEC 


Lyman,  Eugene  Wm.,  Rev. 
Watson,  W.  H.,  Rev. 


BRITISH  WEST  INDIES 


Coffin,  F.  J.,  A.  M.  Ph.  D. 


Archibald,  George  H. 
Black,  Arthur 


I   Seaton,  D.  T. 
FOREIGN 


ENGLAND 


Bonner,  Carey,  Rev. 
Griffiths,  Hugh  S. 


DuTTON,  Horace,  Rev. 


Bashford,  J.  W.,  Ph.  D. 


Boggs,  S.  a.  D., 
Fleming,  D.  J.,  Prof. 


FRANCE 

I  Goodrich,  Chauncey  W.,  Rev. 

CHINA 

I   Roots,  Logan  Herbert,  Rt.  Rev. 

DENMARK 
Hansen,  Hans  Peder 

INDIA 

I    Hume,  R.  A.,  Rev.,  D.  D. 
Levering,  Frank  H.,  B.  S.,  LL.  D. 


JAPAN 
Chappell,  Benjamin,  Rev..  A.  M.         |  Gulick,  Sidney  L.,  Rev. 

SOUTH  AFRICA 

institutions 
Chimanimani  School 

SOUTH  AUSTRALIA 
Stacy.  Ernest  James 

TURKEY 

Gates,  Caleb  Frank,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.     |   Lee,  L.  O.,  Rev.,  D.  D. 

*  Contributor  to  this  volume. 
fLife  member. 


INDEX 


Agencies,     Co-ordination  of,    within   a 

Religious  Community,  96 
Alberta,  Sunday  School  Association,  281 
America,  Field  of  Religious  Education, 

90 
America's  Mission,  64 
American  Institute  of  Sacred  Literature, 

379 
American  Literature   and  Social   Con- 
science,   38 
Annual  Survey  of  Progress,  9 
Annual  Survey  of  Work  of  Theological 

Seminaries,  124 
Anthony,  Alfred  W.,  Discussion,  133 
Architecture,  Religious,  403,  407 
Arnold,  Sarah  Louise,  Address,  Foun- 
dations of  Religion  and  Morahty,  251 
Art,  Religious,  Department  of,  403 
Art,  The  Service  of,  in   Religion,   404, 

455. 
Artistic  Studies  in  Theological  Semina- 
ries, 418 
Association,  The  Officers  of  the,  483 
Authority  and   Childhood,    12 

B 

Ballantine,  W.  G.,  Address,  on  Biblical 
Knowledge  for  Sunday  School  Teach- 
ers,   289 
Barnes,  L.  C,  Discussion,  183 
Beatley,  Clara  B.,  Discussion,  185 
Benner,  E.  A.,  Address,  Camps  for  City 

Boys,    439 
Bible  as  an  Aid  to  Self -discovery,  25 
Bible  and  Moral  Training,  75 
Bible,  as  the  Sunday  School  Text-book, 

.74 
Bible  in  Public  Schools,  92 
Bible  Study  in  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  77 
Bible  Study  by  Communities,  202 
Bible  Study,  Need  of  New  Method,  153 
Bible  Study  in  Women's  Clubs,  204 
Bible  Study,  Organizations  for,  10 
Bible,  The  Educational  Aid  of  the,  169 
Bible,  The  Great  Moral  Book  of  Anti- 
quity, 26 
BibUcal  Knowledge,  Necessary  for  Sun- 
day School  Teachers,  289 
BibHography  of  Books  and  Lessons  for 

the  Sunday  School,  207 
Bisbee,    Frederick    A.,    Address,    The 
Religious  Press  and  the  Populariza- 
tion of  Bible  Study,  371 


Bitting,  WilUam   C,  Address,    Co-ordi- 
nation of  Agencies  within  a  Religious 
Community,  96 
Books,  Effect  on  Character,  348 
Books,  Theological,  for  Public  Libra- 
ries, 352 
Bowerman,  G.  F.,  Address,  Choice  of 
Religious  Books  for  Public  Libraries, 
352 
Boy,  In  the  City,  439 
Boy,  In  the  Country,  429 
Boys,  Characteristics  of,  303 
Boys,  Chivalric  Idea  in  Work  with,  433 
Boys,  Civic  Idea  in  Work  with,  436 
Boys,  Camps  for,  439 
Boys,  Federating  Church  Work  for,  445 
Boys,  General  Alliance  Workers..  429 
Boys,  Religious  Education  of,  302 
Boys'  School,  Formal  Instruction  in,  82 
Boys,  Ten  Year^  of  Work  with,  454 
Boys,  Training  of,  in  India,  274 
Brand,  Chas.  A.,  Address,  Bible  Study 

by  Communities,    202 
Brooklyn,  Church  Athletic  League,  449 
Brotherhood,   Quickening  the  Sense  of 

Natural  and  Universal,  56 
Burdett,    G.    A.,    Address,    Educative 

Power  of  Organ  Music,  412 
Burr,     Everett    D.,    Address,     Formal 
Instruction  in  the  Sunday  School,  71 
Burr,  Everett  D.,  Address,  Pastor  as  a 

Teacher,  159 
Burr,  H.  M.,  Address,  Course  in  Philan- 
thropies, 305 

c 

Camp  for  Boys,  439 

Chamberlin,  Miss  Georgia  L.,  Address, 

Classification      of      Correspondence 

Courses,  385 
Child  and  The  Church,  29 
Child  and  Creed,  30 
Child  Nature,  the  Study  of,  286 
Child  Nature  Seeking  God,  251 
Child,  The,  as  an  Opportunity,  72 
Child,  The  Spiritual  Life  of,  175 
Children  at  the  Summer  Assembly,  399 
China,  Moral  Education  in,  267 
Chivalry  as  a  Motive  with  Boys,  434 
Chivers,   E.   E.,    Address,     Culture 

Courses  in  Churches,  152 
Christ  as  a  Teacher,  147 
Christian  Associations,  Department  of, 

293 
Christian  Culture  Courses,  152 


519 


520 


INDEX 


Christian  Endeavor    Plans,  315 
Christianity,   The   Mission   of,   to   the 

Worid,  60 
Church  as  Factor  in  Rehgious  Develop- 
ment, 29 
Church  Interiors,  Treatment  of,  403 
Church  and  School,  Separation,  91 
Church,  The,  as  an  Educator,  148 
Church  as  a  School,  98 
Church,  Co-operation  with  Other  Agen- 
cies,   100 
Church  Exteriors,  Treatment  of,  407 
Church,  The  Educational  Aims  of  the, 

147 
Church  as  an  Educator,  148 
Church  Training,  Educational  Leaders, 

5° 
Church's    Problem,    of    the    Rehgious 

Education  of  its  People,  177 
Churches  and  Pastors,  Department  of, 

146 
Cicero,  Moral  Effect  of  Reading,  227 
Citizenship  and  Sentiment,  59 
Citizenship,  Sacredness  of,  56 
Citizenship,  Training  for,  in  the  Family, 

41 
Citizenship,  Training  Boys  in,  442 
Civic  Responsibihty  in  Youth,  339 
City,    The    Problems    of  a    Tvi^entieth 

Century,  305 
Classic  Literature  and  Moral  Teaching, 

225 
Coe,     George     A.,     Address,     Formal 

Instruction  in  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  76 
College,  Formal  Instruction  in,  84 
College,  Studies  in  Morals,  85 
Colleges,  What  can  They  do  for  Re- 
ligious Life  of  Students?  iio^ 
College,    An   Experiment  in   Religious 

Instruction   in,    117 
Commerce  and  Conquest,   65 
Comparative  ReUgion,  The  Influence  of, 

128 
Confucius,  Teaching  of,  269 
Conscience,  Developing  the  Social,  37 
Conscience,  The    Universal,  47 
Conscious  Relation  to  God,   Bringing 

the  Individual  to,  20 
Conscious    Relation   to  God,  Rehgious 

Education  as  an  Aid  to,  33 
Consciousness  of  God  in  Children,  330 
Continuity  of  Religious  Education,  335 
Convention,  The  Minutes  of  the,  461 
Co-operation,  What  is  Possible  between 

Roman  Catholics  and  Protestants  in 

Religious  Education,   102 
Co-ordination    of    Agencies    within    a 

Rehgious  Community,  96 
Correspondence  Courses,  Classification 

of,  385 
Correspondence    Courses   in   Religious 
Education,  279 


Correspondence    Instruction,    Depart- 
ment of,  374 
Correspondence,  Possibihtes  of,  374 
Correspondence,  Place  and  Possibilities 

of,  in  Rehgious  Education,  374 
Cosmopohtanism  of  Jesus,  62 
Coulter,  John  M.,  Address,  Science  as 

a  Teacher  of  Morahty,  40 
Council  of  Religious  Education,  Session 

of,  86 
Council  of  Religious  Education,  Work 

for  the  Year,  86 
Cram,  R.  A.,  Address,  The  Treatment 

of  Church  Interiors,  403 
Crothers,  Samuel  M.,  Discussion,  55 
Cummings,  Edward,  Discussion,  155 
Cuninggim,  J.  L.,  Address,  Survey  of 

Correspondence  Courses,   379 
Curricula   of   Theological    Seminaries, 

143 
Curriculum  for  the  Sunday  School,  188 

D 

Day,  Charles  O.,  Discussion,  Decline 
in  Number  of  Students  for  Ministry, 

13s 
Dining-room  Bible  Class,  203 
Du  Bois,  Patterson,  The  Sunday  School 

Curriculum,  188 
Du  Bois,  Wilham  E.  B.,  Discussion,  53 

E 

Education  of  the  Conscience,  48 
Educational  Aims  of  the  Church,  147 
Educator,  Church  as,  148 
Elective  System,  Dangers  of,  13,  126 
Ethical  Education,  of  Pubhc  Opinion, 

47 
Ethics,  Course  in,  220 
Evolution  of  the  Western  World,  63 
Exhibit,  Sunday  School,  216,  174 
Experiment  in  Rehgious  Instruction  in 

a  College,  117 


Family,  Its  Place  in  Religious  Educa- 
tion, 324 

Family  Worship,  70,  328 

Faunce,  William  H.  P.,  Annual  Sur- 
vey, 9 

Field  of  Rehgious  Education  in  Amer- 
ica, 90 

Fergusson,  E.  M.,  Address,  Summer 
Sunday  School  Institutes,  390 

Fisher,  G.  J.,  Address  Brooklyn 
Church  Athletic  League,  449 

Fiske's,  Law  of  Infancy  of  Race,  240 

Fitts  Ahce  E.,  Address,  Developing  the 
Consciousness  of  God  in  Children, 
330 

Fletcher,  W.  I.,  Address,  Moral  Value 
of  Reading,  348 


INDEX 


521 


Forbush,    W.    B.,    Address,    Summer 

Assembly  and  the  Moral  Instruction 

of  Children,  399 
Forbush,  W.  B.,  Address,  Ten  Years 

of  Work  with  Boys,  454 
Formal    Instruction    in    Religion    and 

Morals,  67 
Forward  Mission,  Study  Courses,  319 
Foss,    S.    W.,    Address,    The    Public 

Library  and  the  Sunday  School,  356 
Foundation    of  Religion  and  Morahty, 

245 
Fourth  Year  in  Theological  Seminaries, 

127 
Froebel   and  the  Child's  Relationships, 

73 

G 

Genetic,    Method   in   Moral   Develop- 
ment,  241 
George,  A.  J.,  Discussion,  237 
Germany,  Moral  Education  in,  261 
Gilbert,  Simeon,  Address,  Bible  in  the 

Philippines,   107 
God,  Conscious  Relation  of  Individual 

to,  20 
God,  Direct  Influence  of,  on  One's  Life, 

20 
Goodsell,  Bishop  D.  A.,  Address,  Christ 

as  a  Teacher,  147 
Gow,  John  R.,  Discussion,  157 
Graded  Sunday  School  Lessons,  210 
Grant,    W.    H.,    Address,    Missionary 

Literature  and  Young  People,  321 
Greek  Literature  and  Moral  Teaching, 

225 
Griffith,  Mrs.  J.  S.,  Address,  On  Bible 

Study  in  Young  Woman's  Christian 

Association,   298 
Gunsaulus,  Frank  W.,  Address,  Place 

and  Possibilities  of  Correspondence 

Instruction,  374 

H 

Hall,     Charles     Cuthbert,     President's 

Annual  Address,  3 
Hall,  Charles  Cuthbert,  The  Mission  of 

Christianity  to  the  World,  60 
Hall,    G.    Stanley,    Address,    On  High 

Schools  and  Moral  Training,  219 
Hall,     G.     Stanley,     Address,     Formal 

Instruction  in  the  Home,  67 
Hansel,    John    W.,    Address,    Teacher 

Training  in  Y.  M.  C.  A     Institute, 

279 
Harper,  William  Rainey,  Address,  What 

can  Universities  and  Colleges  do  for 

the  Religious  Life  of  Students?    no 
Harris,   George,   Address,    Formal   In- 
struction in  the  College,  84 
Harrower,     Pascal,     Address,     Annual 

Survey  of  Sunday  School  Progress,  171 


Hartford  School  of  Religious  Pedagogy, 

276 
Henderson,   C.   R.,   Address,  Home  in 

Religious  Education,  324 
High  Schools  and  Moral  Training,  219 
History,  Modern,  is  Sacred,  155 
Hitchcock,    Albert   W.,    Address,    The 

Church  as  an  Educator,  148 
Hodge,     Richard    M.,     Address,     The 

Sunday-School    Exhibit,    216 
Holcombe,     Chester,     Address,     Moral 

Education  in  China,  267 
Home,  Department  of,  324 
Home   as  a  Community,  340 
Home,  Formal  Instruction  in  Religion 

in,  67 
Home,    Importance    to    Religion    and 

Morals,   68,   71 
Home  in  Religious  Education,  324 
Home,  Herman  H.,  Address,    Indirect 

Education  of  the  Will,  258 
Horr,  George  E.,  Discussion,  131 
Houston,    D.    J.,    Address,   Federating 

Church  Work  for  Boys,  445 
Hoyt,  Arthur,  Address,  Literature  as  an 

Expression  of  Social  Ideals,  37 
Huestis,  Charles  H.,  Address,  Teacher 

Training  in  Alberta,   281 
Hume,  Robert  A.,  Address,   Religious 

Inculcation  in  India,  271 
Hurlbut,  J.  L.,  Address,  On  Teacher 

Training,   283 
Hyde,    William  De  Witt,   Address,  An 

Experiment  in  Religious  Instruction 

in  a  College,  117 
Hymns  for  Sunday  School,  201,  196 


Immanence  of  God,  23 
Imperialism,  The  Spirit  of,  65 
India,   Inculcation  of  Religion  in,  271 
Individual,    How    Bring     into     Con- 
scious Relation  to  God,  20 
Intellectual  Expression  of  Experience, 
165 

J 
Jackson,   George  A.,  Address,  Profes- 
sional Libraries  of  Modern  Standard 
of   Ministry,    361 
Jacobus,  Melancthon  W.,  Address,  On 
the  Curricula  of  Theological  Semina- 
ries, 143 
Jesus  as  a  Model  Teacher,  277 
Jesus  Christ,  The  Scientific  Approach 

to,  44 
Journalism,  Religious  Purpose  of,  372 
Judson,  Mrs.  Charles  N.,  Address,  On 

Bible  Study  in'Y.  W.  C.  A.,  298 
Jump,  H.  A.,   Address,   The   Problem 

the  Country  Boy,  429 
Juvenile  City  League  in  New  York,  442 


522 


INDEX 


K 

Kaighn,  Edward  B.,  Address,  Reli- 
gious Education  of  Boys,  302 

King  Arthur,  Knights  of,  434 

King,  Henry  Churchill,  Address,  The 
Bible  as  an  Aid  to  Self-discovery,  25 

King,  Henry  Churchill,  Address,  Uni- 
versities  and   Religious    Instruction, 

"5 
Knight,  Edward  H,,  Address,  Teacher 
Training  in  the  Hartford  School,  276 


Laboratory  Method  in  Religious  Educa- 
tion,  73 
Langdon,    W.    C,    Address,    Juvenile 

City  League,  442 
Latin  Literature  and  Moral  Teaching, 

225 
Lawrence,      William,      Address,     The 
Church  as  a  Factor  in  Personal  ReU- 
gious  Development,  29 
Leaders,  Need  of,  in  Rehgious  Educa- 
tion, 49 
Lessons  and  Grading,  172 
Lesson  Helps,  Dangers  of,  290 
Library  Co-operation    with  the  Sunday 

School,  356 
Libraries,  Department  of,  345 
Libraries,  Annual  Survey  of,  345 
Libraries,  Professional,  for  the  Ministry, 

361 
Literature  and  Social  Ideals,  37 
Literature,  English,  and  Moral  Ideals, 

232 
Literature,  Recent,  on  Religious  Educa- 
tion,   15 
Lowell,  D.  O.  S.,  Address,  English  Lit- 
erature and  Moral  Ideals,  232 

M 

MacClintock,  Mrs.  W.  D.,  Address, 
Continuity   of   Religious   Education, 

335 

Macdougall,  H.  C,  Address,  Music  and 
the  Religious  Life  of  Students,  121 

Macfarland,  Charles  S.,  Address,  Intel- 
lectual Expression  of  Experience,  1 65 

Macfarland,  J.  T.,  Address,  On  Teach- 
er Training,  284 

Macfarland,  J.  T.,  Address,  The 
Church's  Problem,  180 

Mackenzie,  William  Douglas,  Address, 
Annual  Survey  of  Work  of  Theologi- 
cal Seminaries,   124 

Mackenzie,  William  Douglas,  Address, 
The  Church's  Problem,  182 

MacLeish,  Mrs.  Andrew,  Address, 
Plans  for  the  Home  Department,  344 

Martin,  George  H.,  Address,  Formal 
Instruction  in  the  Public  School,  80 


Masseck,    F.    L.,    Address,    Chivalric 

Work  with  Boys,  433 
McBee,  Silas,  Address,  The  Press  and 

the  Missionary  Movement,  365 
McDowell,    William    Fraser,    Address, 

Direct  Influence  of  God  upon  One's 

Life,   20 
Mead,  George  W.,  Address,  Report  on 

Sunday  School  BibKography,  207 
Meeser,   S.  B.,  Address,   On  Basis  of 

Union  for  Young  People's  Societies, 

309 

Messer,  L.  Wilbur,  Address  at  Open- 
ing Service,  38 

Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  Its  Work 
of  Teacher  Training,  283 

Methods  of  Inculcating  Religion  and 
Morals,  261 

Ministers'  Reading,  363 

Ministry,  Decline  in  Number  of  Stu- 
dents for,   135 

Minutes  of  Annual  Meeting,  461 

Missionary  Movement,  Educating  the 
Public  by  the  Press,  365 

Missionary  Interest  in  Young  People's 
Societies,  318,  321 

Missionary  Literature  and  Young  Peo- 
ple,  321 

Missions,  The  Modern  Spirit,  60 

Missions,  The  Study  of,  154 

Modernizing  Pulpit  Phraseology,  166 

Moral  Development,  Aims  and  Pro- 
cesses of,   239 

Moral  Duties,  Papers  on,  by  High 
School    Students,    81 

Moral  Equipment  Reasonably  Expected 
of  Graduates  of  Common  Schools,  253 

Moral  Teaching  in  Common  Schools, 

254 
Morals,  Suggested  Courses  in,  68 
Morals,  Teaching  of,  in  Public  Schools, 

80 
Mother,  The  Place  of,  in  Religious  Edu- 
cation, 333 
Mother,  The,   in  Religious    Education, 

69 
Music,  Organ,  Educative  Power  of,  412 
Music,  What  can  It  do  for  the  Rehgious 
Life  of  Students  ?  1 2 1 


N 

Nash,  Henry  S.,  Discussion,  52 
Nason,  George  F.,  Discussion,  197 
National   and   Universal   Brotherhood, 

Sense  of,  56 
Nature  Study  and  Religious  Education, 

70 
Newspapers  and  Religious  Intelligence, 

366 
Newspapers,  Sunday,  367 


INDEX 


523 


O 

Old     Testament   the    Great   Religious 

Book  of  Antiquity,  27 
Organ  Music,  Power  of,  412 
Oriental    Customs    in    Religious    and 

Moral   Education,    267 
Oriental  Spiritual  Reform,  64 
Ovid,  Moral  Effect  of  Reading,  228 


Painters,  The  Educative  Value  of  the 

Art,  415 
Pastor  as  an  Educator,  163 
Pastor,  The  Educational  Aims  of,  158 
Patton,    Cornelius,     H.     Address,  The 

Pastor  as  an  Educator,  163 
Peabody,    Endicott,    Address,    Formal 

Instruction  in  the  Preparatory  School, 

82 
Pedagogy,  Training  in  Religious,  277 
Pedagogical  Training  for  Sunday  School 

Teachers,  285 
Peloubet,    Sunday  School    Curriculum, 

190 
Perry,  Alfred  T.,  Address,  Decline  in 

Number  of  Students  for  Ministry,  135 
Philanthropies,  Outline  of  a  Course  in, 

305 
Philippines,  The  Bible  in  the,  107 
Phillips  Brooks  House,  Harvard,  113 
Pictures,  Great,  and  Moral  Education, 

415 

PoHtical  Purity  and  Citizenship,  57 

Pratt,  Waldo  S.,  Address,  Artistic  Study 
in  Theological   Seminaries,   418 

Pratt,  Waldo  S.,  Report  on  Worship'in 
the   Sunday-School,    194  ^? 

Pray,  J.  S.,  Address,  The  Treatment  of 
Church   Exteriors,    407 

Prayer  Meeting,  Young  People's,  309, 
316 

Preparatory  School,  Formal  Instruction 
in  the,  82 

President's  Annual  Address,  3 

Press,  Department  of  the,  365 

Press,  Religious  and  Popular  Bible 
Study,  371 

Principles  Underlying  the ;;-  Sunday 
School  Curriculum,    188 

Pritchett,  Henry  S.,  Address,  Ethical 
Education  of  PubHc  Opinion,  47 

Proceedings  of  Annual  Business  Meet- 
ing, 461 

Processes  of  [Moral  Development,  239 

Programme  for  Sunday  School  Wor- 
ship, 195 

Progress  in  Religious  and  Moral  Educa- 
tion, 9,  14 

Protestants  and  Catholics  in  Religious 
Education,  104 

Prussia,  Moral  Education  in,  261 


PubHc  Libraries,  Religious  Books  for, 

352 
Public  Schools,  Religious  Instruction  in, 

93 

Public  Schools,  Secondary  Department 
of,  219 

Public  Schools,  Secondary,  Moral  Teach- 
ing in,  219 

Public  Schools,  Elementary,  Depart- 
ment^of,  245 

Public  Spirit  and  Private  Interests,  58 

R 

Reading,  The  Moral  Value  of,  348 

Religionsunterricht  and  its  Results,  261 

Renaissance,  The  Art  of,  416 

Revival,  Need  of,  132 

Robson,  Frank  H.,  Address,  Processes 
of  Moral  Development,  239 

Roman  Catholics  and  Protestants,  Can 
They  Co-operate  in  Religious  Educa- 
tion? 102 

Russell,  Eugene  D.,  Discussion,  229 


Sallust,  Moral  Effect  of  Reading,  227 
Sanders,     Frank    Knight,     President's 

Address  on  Work  of  Council,  86 
Science  as  a  Teacher  of  Morality,  40 
School  City,  The  Plan  of,  438 
Schools,  Common,  and  the  Foundations 

of  ReUgion,  245 
Schools,  Common,  Moral  Influence  of 

253 

Schools,  Elementary  Public,  Depart- 
ment of,  245 

Schools,  Public,  Religious  Education  in, 
80 

Schools,  Secondary,  Department,  219 

Schools,  See  Sunday  Schools 

Schools,  Public,  Formal  Instruction  in, 
80 

Schools,  Preparatory,  Formal  Instruc- 
tion in,  82 

Scientific  Attitude,  The,  40 

Scudder,  M.  T.,  Address,  Civic  Idea  in 
Work  with  Boys,  436 

Self -discovery  by  Aid  of  Bible,  25 

Sewall,  John  L.,  Address,  The  Sunday 
Press  and  Rehgious  Education,  367 

Shahan,  Thomas  J.,  Address,  What  Co- 
operation is  now  Possible  in  Religious 
Education  between  Roman  Catholics 
and  Protestants?  102 

Shaw,  William,  Discussion,  315 

Singing  in  the  Sunday  School,  196,  201 

Sisson,  Edward  O.,  Address,  Religions- 
unterricht, 261 

Small,  Walter  H.,  Address,  Moral 
Equipment  Afforded  by  Common 
Schools,    253 


5^4 


INDEX 


Social  Conscience,  Developing  a,  37 
Social  Conscience,  through  Literature, 

53 
Social  Conscience,  through  Science,  40 
Social  Conscience,  Ethical  Education  of, 

47 

Social  Responsibility  of  Youth,  339 

Social  Service,  39 

Sohdarity  of  the  Modern  World,  63 

Spaulding,  H.  G.,  Address,  The  Educa- 
tive Value  of  Great  Paintings,  415 

Starbuck,  E.  D.,  Address,  Social  and 
Civic  ResponsibiUty  in  Youth,  339 

Starbuck,  Edwin  D.,  Address,  Common 

Schools  and  Foundations  of   ReUgion, 

245 
Stories,  The  Use  of,  in  Religious  Educa- 
tion,  69 
Street,  J.  R.,  Address,  On  Pedagogical 
Training  for  Sunday  School  Teachers 
285 
Students?  What  can  University  do  for 

Religious  Life  of,  no 
Students  ?    What  can  Music  do  for  ReU- 

gious  Life  of,  121 
Students  for  the  Ministry,   DecUne  in 

Number  of,  135 
Summer  Assemblies,   BibUcal  Instruc- 
tion at,  395 
Summer    Assemblies    and    the    Moral 

Instruction  of  Children,  399 
Summer  Assembhes,  Department  of,  390 
Summer  Sunday  School  Institutes,  390 
Sunday  Paper  as  a  Moral  Teacher,  368 
Sunday  Papers,  History  of,  368 
Sunday  Press  and  Moral  Education,  367 
Sunday  School,  Annual  Survey  of  Prog- 
ress in,  171 
Sunday  School  Curriculum,   188 
Sunday  School,  Department  of  the,  171 
Sunday  School,  Formal  Instruction  in, 

Sunday  School  Lesson  Slips,  161 
Sunday  School,  PubUc  Library  and  the, 

356 
Sunday  School  Summer  Institutes,  390 
Sunday  School  Teacher  Training,  276 
Sunday   School  Teachers,   training  of, 

283 
Sunday  School,  Worship  in  the,  194 


Taylor,    S.    E.,    Address,    Missionary 
Societies  and  Young  People's,  318 

Teacher,  The  Pastor  as  a,  158 

Teacher,  Public  School,  and  Religion, 
246 

Teacher  Training,  Department  of,  276 

Teacher  Training,  Progress  in,  171 

Teaching,  Method  of,  184 

Teaching,  Theory  of,  in  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  77 


Teaching,  The  Sex  Factor  in,  172 

Ten  Years  of  Work  with  Boys,  454 

Text-books,  for  Teachers  of  the  Chil- 
dren, 211 

Theological  Seminaries,  Annual  Survey 
of  Work  of,  124 

Theological  Seminaries,  Department 
of,   124 

Theological  Seminaries,  Artistic  Studies 
in,  418 

Theological  Seminaries,  Uniform  Cur- 
ricula, 143 

Training,  of  Sunday  School  Teachers, 
276 

Tucker,  William  J.,  Address,  Sacredness 
of  Citizenship,  56 

Tupper,  Frederic  A.,  Discussion,  223 

u 

Uniform  Lesson  System,  192 

Unity  of  Agencies  for  Religious  Educa- 
tion,   1 1 

Universities  and  Colleges,  Department 
of,   no 

Universities  and  Colleges,  What  can 
they  do  for  Religious  Life  of  Stu- 
dents? no 

V 

Virtues,  Suggested  Courses  in,  68 
Votaw,  Clyde  Weber,  Address,  Field  of 
Religious  Education  in  America,  90 

w 

Wallace,  Roy  Smith,  Address,  Work  of 
the  Phillips  Brooks  House  Associa- 
tion, 113 
Walker,  Williston,  Discussion,  141 
Welcome,  Address  of,  463 
Wheelock,  Lucy,  Discussion,  199 
Will,  Indirect  Education  of,  258 
Wellman,  Hiller  C,  Address,  Pubhc  Li- 
brary and  Sunday  School  Library,  358 
Will,  The,  in  Teaching,  287 
Whitin,  E.  Stagg,  Discussion,  451 
Willett,  Herbert  L.,  Address,  Biblical 
Instruction   at   Summer  Assembhes. 

395 

Winship,  Albert  E.,  Address  of  Wel- 
come, 463 

Wood,  Irving  F.,  Address,  The  Church's 
Problem,  177 

Wood,  Walter  M.,  Address,  Annual  Sur- 
vey of  Christian  Associations,  293 

Wood,  W.  A.,  Discussion,  168 

Work,  Christian  Training  for,  154 

Worship  and  Children,  32 

Worship  in  the  Sunday  School,  194 


Y.   M.   C.   A.   Institute  and  Training 
School,  279 


INDEX 


52s 


Y.  M.  C.  A.  Annual  Survey  of  Progress 
in  Religious  Education  in  Christian 
Associations,   293 

Y.  M.  C.  A.,  Results  of  Religious  Teach- 
ing in,    78 

Y.  M.  C.  A.  and  Religious  Education, 
18,  76 

Young  Men  and  the  New  Evangelism, 

36  .     . 

Young  Men's  Christian  Association, 
Formal  Instruction  in,  76 


Young  People's  Societies,  Department 
of,  309 

Young  People's  Societies,  Basis  for  the 
Union  of,  309 

Young  People's  Societies,  Model  Con- 
stitution for,  311 

Young  People's  Societies  and  Religious 
Education,  17 

Y.  W.  C.  A.,  Annual  Survey  of,  293 

Y.  W.  C.  A.,  Bible  Study  in,  298 


Princeton  Theological  Seminary  Libraries 


1    1012  01237  6440 


Date  Due 


IN   U.   S.   A. 


